Hiking
by 2queens1prince
Summary: Tumblr prompt; "There's only one bed." A story taking place either before Henry and Elizabeth start dating or soon after. The first chapter is K rated, but I've rated it T in case I add a few more chapters.
1. Chapter 1

AN: Madam Secretary Prompt: A "there's only one bed" fic, when Henry & Elizabeth aren't yet dating (or just started). This is from lilacmermaid and I love her prompts. She comes up with such interesting things.

After a long hiatus (decades), I've picked up writing again. The thing I notice most about my writing style is that I can be inspired by a 10 word sentence and then feel the need to write 4,000 words around it to make a story. This piece is an excellent example. "There's only one bed, but it looks like two blankets." was the starting point. LOL! I hope you hang in there long enough to get to the point!

I love feedback of any kind and if you have questions, feel free to ask. I'm also on Tumblr. Same name.

Hiking

Henry McCord pulled out the chair and sat in his usual spot at the library, third floor, long table closest to the window, far left spot. This was a specifically chosen spot, and it was his. It gave him privacy and a relative amount of quiet, as most people chose a spot closer to the exit for convenience. It also gave him a great place to people watch, a hobby he engaged in, particularly if he was dealing with a boring reading or had a difficult paper to write.

Emptying his backpack, he stacked his books and jotted down a quick to do list. Propping his feet on the chair in front of him, he slouched down a bit and got comfortable with his latest reading assignment. Perhaps only ten minutes passed, although he wasn't sure it was even that when he heard the click, click, click of shoes above the ordinary library noise..

Only his eyes moved, his gaze just above the top of the book he held in his hands. It was a girl. A blond girl, hair piled messily on top of her head with strays flying around forming a ring of random curls, a pencil stuck haphazardly through the knot on her head. She had a slim figure, and carried a stack of books that likely weighed most of what she did. The repetitive click click noise came from hard soled flats, which she paired with a pair of purple plaid pajama pants and a light blue Guns 'N Roses sweatshirt with the cuffs and waistband ripped off.

It took all of Henry's good judgement not to roll his eyes as the mess of a person crossed the study area and walked down the side aisle. She probably hadn't been in the library all semester and planned to try to make up for crummy scores on her midterms in the last few weeks. He didn't have time for that kind of mediocrity. Lowering his gaze, he went back to reading, all too aware that the click, click of shoes was getting closer to him. Then it stopped.

She cleared her throat and Henry raised his eyes to meet hers. She had uncommonly beautiful eyes. He tried to avert his gaze, but he was finding it difficult. It was if they were looking into his soul and it made Henry extremely uncomfortable. "Can I help you?" he finally managed to ask.

"Do you mind?" she gestured to his feet resting on the chair opposite him. Henry made it a point to look at the rest of the table which was empty as were the next two tables over.

"You want to sit there?" He pointed at the chair immediately across from his, where his feet were still perching themselves. She only nodded. "Seriously?" Henry's tone was indignant. "There are twenty empty chairs all around us and you feel the need to sit in this one. The one right across from me?" She nodded again, her eyes boring into him on a level that he found greatly disconcerting. "Alright then," he said, his tone, cutting. He pulled his feet off the chair and swiveled around the to chair beside him and rearranged himself there.

She set the pile of books on the corner of the table and settled herself in the chair. Pulling her glasses from the front pocket of her backpack, she shoved them on her face, pushing them up the bridge of her nose and opened the book on top of the pile.

Henry continued to read and eventually he shifted his notebook to a different angle so that he could make some notes for an upcoming paper. Against everything that made sense to him, his eyes kept wandering to the female occupying the space across from him. He didn't know that he had ever seen anyone devour information that way she did. She had to be a speed reader of some sort. She'd spend ten minutes on a book, write what he presumed to be notes, at a furious pace, and then move on to the next book.

Despite the distraction that was sitting across from him, Henry was able to finish the notes for his paper. Checking his watch, he decided he had just enough time to grab a coffee on the way to his next class. He tossed his books and notebook in his backpack and stood. "Bye," he said, with a certain tenseness in his voice as he pushed his chair in.

"Mmm hmm," she responded, not making eye contact.

Henry walked away rolling his eyes.

The next four days pretty much went the same way. Out of sheer stubbornness, Henry was not about to abdicate his seat. He'd been sitting in that spot for more than two years. He didn't know who this girl was, but she sure as hell wasn't going to push him out.

As he rolled out of bed Saturday morning, he winced against the pain of his throbbing head. He was uncharacteristically hungover from his escapades the evening before. Normally, he would have been home before the wee hours of the morning, but he'd stayed out much later last night. There were several parties on campus and he'd hit them all, with his friends of course, but he had an ulterior motive. He hoped to see her, library girl. It had been a fruitless pursuit and now it was 10 AM and he actually had things that needed to be done.

After taking a quick shower and getting dressed, he grabbed a granola bar from the box on his desk, picked up his backpack, and headed to the library. Walking in at 11:15, he saw that she was already there, taking up residence at her her side of his table.

"Good morning," he said as he dropped his bag into the chair next to where he would sit.

"Hi. I brought you something." she said, sliding the cup of coffee across the halfway point to him. "I thought you might need it."

"Thanks. Why did you think I would need it?" He cocked a brow in her direction wondering how she knew of his current state. That coffee actually looked wonderful.

"I saw you last night and you looked like you were having a pretty good time. I thought it might make for a not so good morning." She grinned at him. He tried to inhale, but couldn't get the air to go into his lungs. Her smile was dazzling and it made her eyes sparkle. She was stunning, even with her tattered long sleeved t-shirt, mismatched earrings and hair that was halfway falling out of the bun it had been in yesterday.

"Oh, which party were you at? I made the rounds looking for you and I didn't see you," The words fell from his lips before he realized what he said. He wasn't sure how to counteract the fact that he just said that he went to the parties specifically to look for her, so he just smiled.

"My roommate's boyfriend is a Sigma Chi, so she drug me there for most of the night." She took a sip of her coffee and he did the same.

"Hmm," Henry said, and tried to remember where in the course of the evening's events, he'd been at the Sigma Chi house. He thought it had been about about the fourth of seven parties. He couldn't be sure though. He diverted his attention to other pressing matters. "Since we're talking and not studying, can I ask you a couple questions?"

"I suppose," she took another sip of coffee and her gaze over the edge of the coffee cup was almost enough to make him lose his nerve.

"Uh, what's your name?"

"I guess we've been sharing space for a while now, you can know that." She grinned at him. "Elizabeth Adams."

Henry extended his hand across the table. "Nice to meet you Elizabeth. I'm Henry McCord."

She laughed, "I know. I asked someone last night."

Henry grinned, "Stalking are we?"

"No more than the guy who checked out several parties looking for me." she countered.

Henry laughed "Touché." He looked at her and was suddenly emboldened. "Do you have a significant other, Miss Adams?"

"Why? Are you interested in filling the position?" she tilted her head just the slightest in inquiry.

"I'm not ruling it out. Now that we are acquainted, I thought about asking you out."

"Hmm. I would consider that request, and no I don't have a boyfriend currently. I ended a two year relationship about four months ago."

"His loss," Henry mused.

"I tend to feel the same way," Elizabeth agreed.

"What are you doing later today?"

"Man, you don't waste time, do you?"

"I had already planned on taking a hike today. I'm just inviting you to come along."

"You really know how to make a girl feel special."

Henry laughed, "You look like an outdoors sort of person. We can do something else later if you don't like hiking."

"Eh, hiking's fine. I'm just giving you grief." Elizabeth smirked.

Henry smiled back. "I have a feeling you do that frequently."

Elizabeth stood and gathered her things. "What time should I be ready for this date?"

"How about 4 and we get something to eat afterward?"

"Sounds good," she said

"Uh, don't you need to study?" Henry asked Elizabeth.

"No. I just came to bring you coffee." She smiled and turned to walk away.

"Where am I picking you up?" he called out, loud enough that three people turned and gave him dirty looks. He shrugged.

"In front of the library is fine," she said over her shoulder. Henry leaned back in his chair and put his feet up where Elizabeth had been sitting and started reading.

Henry was standing out front of the library at 4 when Elizabeth came walking up. She had on a pair of black sweatpants and windbreaker with hiking boots. Her blond curls were pulled back into a ponytail and she was smiling brightly. "A man who's punctual. I like that."

"Well, I am usually on time, but it took me longer than I'd planned to get my work done, so I haven't been home yet. Do you mind if we swing by so I can change?"

"Uh, I don't usually go to someone's place on a first date."

"Okay, you can just sit on the bench in front. It will only take a minute to change." They walked the three blocks to Henry's apartment building and Henry pointed out the bench at the edge of a small garden area. It was decorated for fall with pumpkins, mums and a couple hay bales. She sat down. "I'll just be a minute," Henry called as he dashed up the steps.

Taking the steps two at a time, he rushed to the door and slid the key into the lock and turned it, hearing the familiar click. He quickly made his way to the bedroom and dug his hiking boots out of the closet and pulled his sweatpants off in exchange for a pair of jeans. He grabbed an extra jacket and a couple water bottles from the fridge and headed for the door, locking it behind him. Bounding down the stairs, he saw Elizabeth sitting exactly where he'd left her.

"Ready to go? I got you a water bottle." he said.

"Thank you," she replied and Henry directed her to his car. Opening the door for her, Elizabeth climbed in.

Henry rounded the front of the car and got in. "I thought we'd go to the Conservation area south of campus and just walk around. Nothing too big."

"Sounds good," she said. As they made the short drive, they made small talk about their classes and professors they had both had. Henry was surprised, and a little embarrassed to discover that Elizabeth was on a full-ride academic merit scholarship, given his first impression of her.

Pulling into the parking lot, they got out and Henry handed Elizabeth a spray bottle. When she looked at him, he replied, "Bug spray, to keep away ticks and mosquitoes." She nodded and sprayed her ankles and exposed skin. Handing the bottle back to him, she peered into the sky.

"Looks like rain," she commented.

"Weather report this morning said overcast all day and only a ten percent chance of rain."

"Hmm," she murmured.

Tossing the bug spray back into the car, he asked, "Which way?" Elizabeth shrugged and gestured in a direction. Henry nodded and led them to the south. After immediately crossing a small creek, they started the uphill climb and along the way, they passed a small cabin that looked as if it had been abandoned. "Maybe we can check it out on the way down," Henry commented. Elizabeth only nodded, for fear of losing her breath if she talked too much. They were quiet most of the way up and about 45 minutes into the hike, they crested what ended up being a rather tall hill. There was a lookout, complete with bench and Henry opened a bottle of water and handed it to Elizabeth. Having forgotten hers in the car, she gladly took a long drink. Handing it back, the pair relaxed and enjoyed the scenery. They both comfortably chatted and sat in silence. Neither seemed to be forced. Henry thought it was nice. He reflected on the last person he'd dated. They were together about eight months before Henry had broken up with her. She just didn't feel like the right person. She couldn't just be, instead she had to always be doing something. Henry, who considered himself a homebody sort, was annoyed by the need to always be on the move. He could be social, as he had proven the previous night, but he would rather stay at home with family or close friends. It sort of felt like that sitting beside Elizabeth. She only spoke when she needed to and it made him want to listen to what she had to say. He smiled.

At the same time, the thunder rolled low through the valley and seconds later a huge crack of lightning lit up the sky. Four seconds later it was followed by the deafening crack in the sky. Henry looked over at Elizabeth, "I'm going with the forecast was incorrect," he said.

"Yeah, did you count the time between the lightning and thunder? It was four seconds. That means roughly the storm is four miles away."

He grinned. "I love that you know that. But that means we won't make it back to the car. I think it's too dangerous to try and maneuver the forest in a lightning storm."

Elizabeth nodded, "Agreed. Think we can make it back to the cabin?"

"That's a better bet. Let's go." Henry grabbed her hand and they took off running down the hill as quickly and carefully as they could. About a minute in, the rain started pelting them as the sky grew darker. "We better come across the cabin soon or we won't be able to see it," Henry yelled over the now pouring rain.

Lightning flashed and three seconds later the thunder clapped. "Keep going," Elizabeth said, rain coming down in sheets now. "There it is," she pointed about 15 yards ahead of them on the path. Henry nodded and pulled her along right behind him. They ran up on the porch hoping to seek a little bit of shelter, but the narrow porch did little to shield them from the sheets of rain that seemed to be coming at them horizontally.

Elizabeth turned the doorknob. "It's locked."

Henry looked around. He checked under the old door mat and under a couple rocks near the bottom step. Then, reaching above the door frame, he pulled a key from the ledge. "Hopefully not for long." He unlocked the door and ushered them inside.

Pushing the door shut behind them, he surveyed where they were. As his eyes adjusted to the very dim light remaining outside, Henry spied a lantern along with a box of matches laying nearby. "That's handy." he commented.

"I think we can build a fire. Seems like everything is here." Elizabeth gestured toward the fireplace.

After lighting the lantern and building a fire in the fireplace, the two thought about their situation. "It doesn't appear that we'll make it to dinner. It's already completely dark. I don't think we could make it down the trail in the dark." Henry said.

"That, and I was thinking about the creek. With all this rain, there's likely to be flash flooding. We may not be able to get out even if we could make it to the parking lot. We're safer here." Elizabeth surmised.

"I agree," Henry said. He noticed Elizabeth shivering. Moving the lantern around the room, he said, "There's only one bed, but it looks like two blankets." he pointed at the double bed pushed into the corner of the room.

Elizabeth nodded, "Since we're already making ourselves at home, what do you think about moving the bed closer to the fire. I'm freezing."

"Great idea." He placed the lantern on the mantle and he and Elizabeth went to the corner and surveyed the bed.

"It isn't on casters, but we should be able to move it closer, don't you think?"

"Oh yeah, let's try it." With Elizabeth on one side and Henry on the other, they were able to scoot the bed close to the fire. "Now, let's fix the wet clothes problem."

"How do you suppose we do that?" Elizabeth asked incredulously.

"Well, I thought we'd each take a blanket, strip down and lay our clothes by the fire and wrap up in the blanket until they dry. And let me tell you what a dumb idea it was to change into jeans. My sweats would have dried faster."

"I don't know how I feel about that plan. I barely know you." Elizabeth looked at him skeptically.

"Are you kidding me? I'm not suggesting we have sex. I just think we should get out of the wet clothes and for the record, I barely know you either. You do whatever you want." Henry snatched the blanket off the end of the bed and tried to figure out how he was going to take his clothes off in front of Elizabeth without really taking his clothes off in front of her. "Would you mind turning around?" he finally asked.

Elizabeth smirked, but did as she was asked and even refrained from making any of the snotty comments she had thought about making.

"Okay," he said and she turned around to find Henry sitting in the middle of the bed with the blanket tucked in tightly around him. He clothes were laid out neatly on the hearth.

"Fine," Elizabeth blurted out. "I'm freezing and you look warm. Turn around please."

Henry turned, saying, "I'm starting to warm up"

Elizabeth undressed while Henry sat with his back to her thinking that this had to be the most ridiculous date in the history of mankind. "All finished," she said, scooting onto the bed, trying to hold the blanket in place.

"I'm sorry," Henry said.

"For what?" Elizabeth asked.

"Are you kidding? This has to be the worst date you've ever been on. I should've listened to you when we got out of the car and you said it looked like rain. Normal people go to the movies on a first date, not end up trapped in a cabin you illegally entered and are now stuck with a person you may not like. So, I'm sorry."

Elizabeth, who had been looking at her hands in her lap looked up and met Henry's gaze. "It's not the worst date I've been on. I think going to the movies is a waste of money. It's very cool that you figured out a way into this cabin and at least I'm stuck with a person I like."

Henry blushed. "What kind of suck ass dates have you been on that this isn't the worst?" Elizabeth laughed, "No. I'm serious. This is by far the most screwed up date I've ever had. You have to tell me what could be worse than this."

"If it makes you feel better at all, this is probably the weirdest first date, although I wouldn't classify it as bad. The worst date I ever went on was a few years ago, I was dating this guy in high school and we were taking a walk in the park and he thought he would rescue a cat stuck in a bush. Only it wasn't a cat, it was a skunk and we both got sprayed. He got bit and ended up having to have a series of rabies shots."

"No way did that really happen." Henry was laughing so hard he was tearing up.

"I swear it did. I thought everything smelled like skunk for six months. Even today, if I smell skunk, I start to dry heave. It's terrible." She laughed along with Henry. "Although, I'm so glad I didn't get bit. James had to take those shots for two weeks or something. It was awful. So, besides this, what's your worst date story." Elizabeth asked.

"Oh gosh, not nearly as traumatic as yours. My very first date when I arrived on campus was with this girl that I thought at the time was really cute and I wanted to impress her, so I took her to this fancy restaurant. When it was time to pay, I realized I forgot my wallet and she had to pay. When we left, I went back for my wallet and tried to pay her back, but she refused and wouldn't talk to me again. I now compulsively check for my wallet so that never happens again." Elizabeth laughed.

"She wouldn't talk to you again, even when you tried to pay her back. That's dumb. I mean people forget things all of the time. Her loss."

Henry smiled. "I figured that out pretty quickly. The more I got to know her from classes and stuff, I knew it was for the best. I really don't care for her at all now."

Elizabeth pondered that. "I guess that happens sometimes. Is that why you don't go big and fancy on a first date anymore?"

"No. That's not the case at all. Today, I just happened to already be planning this boatload of fun and I wanted to go out with you. The two just coincided. If you ever talk to me again, I'll take you to a fancy restaurant and I absolutely would not forget my wallet."

"Is there some reason I wouldn't go out with you again?" Elizabeth asked sincerely.

"I don't know that this is my best effort and I'm pretty sure I would be unimpressed with me if I were you."

"I'm having a good time. I will say that I'm hungry, but beyond that, it's been pretty fun.

Henry smiled and brought up a new subject and they talked until well past midnight.

Henry threw a couple more logs on the fire, hoping they would last until morning. "There's only one bed, so I'll just sleep on the floor here near the fire."

"That's silly. Get up here. We can share. I don't bite," she paused long enough to grin at him. "Very hard," she winked at him..

Henry chuckled. "Are you sure? You wouldn't step foot in my apartment so I could go behind a closed door to change clothes, but you'll share a bed with me when we are both without clothes altogether."

"Granted, you make a fair and valid point. Occasionally I'm illogical. But, you don't need to sleep on the floor."

"Alright. As long as you're sure you're okay with it."

"I'm fine. "Just keep your hands to yourself."

Henry gripped his blanket a little tighter. "No worries."

He stirred the fire one last time before laying down on the bed opposite Elizabeth. "Hey," he said, turning to face her. "I know this has been a mess of a date , but I just wanted you to know that I had a really good night and I'd like to take you out again sometime."

"I had a good time too," she said as she ran her fingertips along his hairline.

Reaching over, Henry touched her cheek and leaned forward kissing it, lightly before rolling back away from her. "Goodnight Elizabeth."

"Goodnight Henry."


	2. Chapter 2

A/N I'm off today, so I was thinking about what I should really be getting done. Now, there is a second chapter to this story, that was going to be a one-shot and nothing is checked off my list. Sigh. Oh well, such is life. I proofread it, but unless it sits a few days, I usually miss some things. Let me know if you find mistakes.

Chapter 2

Faint light seeped into the cabin Sunday morning. Henry stirred and tried to shift his position from the edge of the bed. He was unable to move because something was behind him. Rubbing his eyes, he exhaled and slowly opened his eyes trying to regain his bearings. The cabin came into focus and it took Henry a full five seconds to remember where he was and that the something behind him was really a someone.

His eyes shot open and pulled his blanket around himself more fully. Looking over, he saw that the fire was barely burning. Sitting up, he looked over his shoulder at Elizabeth. She was spread across two-thirds of the bed and had her arm and one leg out of the blanket. She had sleek, lean legs and Henry averted his eyes quickly. Standing, he took the couple steps to the hearth and checked the clothes. They were dry, or in the case of his jeans, dry enough.

He tried to pull his boxers on underneath the blanket and was somewhat successful, but the rest of his clothes, not as much. Henry checked over his shoulder and saw that Elizabeth was still sleeping. He finally just tossed the blanket on the floor and pulled his jeans on as quickly as possible. Tugging his shirt over his head, he crossed the room and opened the door.

He stepped out on the porch. The forest looked bright and green in the early morning light. A few limbs lay on the trail from the heavy rain, but for the most part, no one would know what a crazy storm it had been. Henry didn't know how much time had passed, but he spun around when Elizabeth said, "It's pretty isn't it?"

"It sure is. How about we clean up?."

"Good idea." Elizabeth still had the blanket wrapped around her, but she had already put her clothes back on. Inside, she removed the blanket and folded it neatly, laying it at the end of the bed. Henry did the same. They moved the bed back to its original spot and Henry poured water on the remaining embers in the fireplace. Looking around, Elizabeth said, "I think that's everything."

"I think so too. Are you ready to go?"

"Yeah. Let's go.." Elizabeth said. Henry locked the cabin, replaced the key, and they started walking back down the path toward the car. They walked down the hill in a comfortable silence, speaking only to point out some sight along the path. They walked side by side and Henry's eyes were drawn to their hands swinging next to each other, almost touching. He remembered the day before when he'd grasped her hand without thinking twice to make sure she stayed close in the storm. She hadn't pulled away and didn't say anything about it, so he wondered if she even noticed.

They walked on, nearing the last quarter mile or so, Elizabeth tripped on a tree root at the edge of the path and lurched forward. Henry quickly reached out and caught her by the waist so she didn't fall. "Thanks," she looked up and held his gaze for just a moment. When they continued, she slipped her hand into his and squeezed it. Henry smiled down at her.

The came down to the clearing where the little creek was and they could see the damage the flood waters had caused. Several limbs were down and there were dead fish on the banks. They carefully walked over the bridge into the now mud covered parking lot. Thankfully Henry's car looked unharmed.

Henry unlocked the car and held the door for Elizabeth. When he got in, he reached to put the key in the ignition, but Elizabeth put her hand on his, stopping him.

"I just wanted to tell you I had a good time. It was definitely not the average first date, but it was nice, and thank you for being a gentleman."

"I had a good time too, and just so you know, I never even considered trying to take advantage of the situation. I'm not that kind of guy anyway, but I really wouldn't with you. I like you and I wouldn't want to do something that might mess up my chance of really getting to know you."

She smiled shyly and released his hand. "I'd like to get to know you too."

He grinned and started the car. "Where do you live?" he asked as he pulled out onto the highway.

"Johnson House," she replied as she turned on the radio and settled back into the seat.

Fifteen minutes later they sat parked in front of her dorm. It was suddenly awkward, and Henry wasn't sure how to make it better. "Would you like me to walk you to your room?" he asked.

"No. That's fine," she started to say something else, but her stomach rumbled loudly.

They both laughed . "Breakfast?" they asked at the same time, and then laughed again.

"How long will it take you to get ready?" Henry asked. "I'll be back to pick you up. I still owe you a meal."

"Give me 30 minutes," she said.

"Make it 45. I'm cat sitting for my neighbor and need to check in on Sebastian."

She shot him an odd look. "Cat sitting? Okay. 45 minutes then. I'll be out front."

Henry went and checked on the cat first and made sure he had food and water and tossed a couple clumps out of the litter box into a small paper bag to be disposed of. Then he went to his own apartment and showered and changed and hopped back into the car to pick Elizabeth up.

As he pulled into the parking lot, Henry could see Elizabeth sitting on a bench near the door of the dorm. Seeing him, she smiled and stood. He pulled up to the curb and jumped out to get the door for her. She was wearing a light blue floral dress with a sweetheart neckline that hit just above the knee. She had a white cardigan on and was carrying a jacket in case it got cold. Her hair was down. It was the first time Henry had seen her hair down. The blond waves framed her face and she wore a small amount of makeup. "You look beautiful," he said.

"You clean up alright yourself." With that, she grinned and sat in the passenger seat. He shut the door.

"Where to?" he asked.

"There's a diner out of the edge of town that has the best omelets," Elizabeth said.

"Mac's?" Henry asked. She nodded. "I've had their cheeseburgers but I've never been there for breakfast. Good food. The owner though, she is a little, uh-" Henry wasn't sure how to finish that statement without sounding harsh.

"Overbearing and bossy? That's Phyllis. She grows on you though." Henry chuckled at that characterization as he pulled out of the parking lot.

They walked into the diner and chose a seat by the window. Phyllis came flying out of the kitchen mumbling about the cook. She picked up a couple menus as she rounded the end of the counter and headed toward Henry and Elizabeth's table. She held out the menus to the both of them saying, "What can I get you-hold on a minute! Sweet Jesus!" Her voice carried throughout the diner as she finally looked at the customers she was serving. Henry decided that you could tell the regulars from the visitors because half of the crowd didn't flinch and the other half about broke their necks turning to see what the commotion was. Phyllis continued, " I know you both and you haven't ever been together. Mmm hmm."

"For goodness sakes Phyllis, knock it off. We're having breakfast Give us a break." Elizabeth said as Henry sat slack jawed watching the two women banter. He was pretty sure he would never have the nerve to talk to Phyllis the using the tone that Elizabeth did.

"Girlie, I don't take lip from you. This is my establishment and I'll comment how I see fit." Phyllis leaned into Elizabeth, looked at Henry and didn't bother to whisper, "By the way, he's a keeper." Elizabeth and Henry both blushed and Phyllis stood, "So, what can I get you to drink?"

"Coffee," they both answered, and she turned to get their coffee.

"That omelet better be damn good after that," she muttered. Henry laughed.

"Only a little overbearing," he whispered and Elizabeth laughed. "And I got a ringing endorsement, so I'm feeling pretty good." Henry grinned.

Phyllis set their coffee cups on the table and took their order. After checking on some other customers, she retired to the kitchen. Henry and Elizabeth were content to watch the diners for a while and Henry sat up abruptly, His sudden movement startled Elizabeth. "Oh sorry," Henry said, "I just thought of something I've been meaning to ask you."

"What's that?" Elizabeth fixed her eyes on Henry and he was still taken off guard when she looked at him like that.

"Uh, I was just wondering why you came and sat in my library spot last week and then why you continued to sit there."

"Because it wasn't your spot. It's my spot. Actually you were sitting in my spot. I wasn't going to let you just come in and take it overt. So I figured I would sit someplace entirely too close, make you uncomfortable and you would vacate the area."

"And how'd that work out for you?" Henry smirked.

"Well, I didn't get my spot back, but I'm at least getting breakfast." she winked.

"Now I'm curious. I've sat in that spot since my freshman year, so over 2 years, and if you think it's your spot and you've been at UVA over a year, how is it that we've never seen each other until now?"

"We probably just kept opposite hours," she said. "Until recently, I was a night owl.. I was usually in the library from midnight to 7, or daybreak, whichever came first."

"How do you keep those hours? That would kill me." Henry asked in all seriousness.

"I have trouble sleeping at night. It's been easier for me to catch a catnap in the afternoon or after dinner. "

"Hmmm," Henry said, and then stopped as he saw Phyllis approach with their food.

Setting their plates down, she immediately stepped over to the counter, reached behind it and set the bottle of syrup on the table. "You kids need anything else?"

"No thank you," Henry said, and Elizabeth shook her head. Once Phyllis was out of earshot, Henry pointed to the syrup bottle. "I wonder what that's about," looking at their plates of eggs and bacon and a western omelet.

"Phyllis may have her quirks, but she's a darn good waitress. I like syrup on my omelet, but only the ones that have sausage in them." Henry wrinkled his nose. "I know. It's weird, but I like what I like."

They ate in silence until their initial hunger had been satisfied, then Henry continued his previous line of thought. "Why did you change?" Elizabeth looked at him confused. "I mean, stop staying up all night," he clarified.

She paused, dropped her eyes and then let exhaled slowly. Henry sensed her hesitation. Reaching out, he touched her hand. "If it's something personal, you don't have to tell me. I was just making conversation. Really, I didn't mean to pry."

Elizabeth smiled, "Actually, I was just thinking that it would probably be good to get it out right away, so if there's just a little to much crazy happening in my direction, you can get out before either one of us get hurt. I've already made that mistake once."

"I'm pretty sure you aren't crazy," Henry said, hoping he was being reassuring, but at the same time, wondering what sort of thing she was about to share and if it would make him want to walk away.

"I have nightmares. Nightmares that impair my ability to sleep more than an hour or so. My shrink says that staying up all night is an avoidance tactic and I need to figure out some coping strategies, so she's got me doing a bunch of stuff, but right now. If I want to sleep at night, I basically need to be drugged out of my mind so I don't dream at all. I wake up feeling like shit and I get to do it again the next night."

Henry's mind went back to the first time he saw Elizabeth and his original assessment of her based on how she looked and he was ashamed of himself. Elizabeth continued on, unaware of Henry's reaction. She was focused on what she was saying. "It was really bad when I first started. Just enough drugs that you can't wake up, but not enough that you don't dream. So, I was trapped in my nightmare for five or six hours until the medicine wore off enough that I could actually wake up. I think it was probably the second day when I decided to come to the library during the day and then you were in my spot." Thinking back, she suddenly said, "I'm sorry. I was probably a real bitch. I didn't mean to be. It had just been an awful day up to that point."

"I don't remember thinking that, only that you were really intense, and I was pissed about you being in my space. I wasn't going to move if only to be stubborn," he laughed. "I'm glad I didn't though. I wouldn't be here with you now, if I'd left in a huff then."

Elizabeth smiled. "So I'm not too crazy?"

Henry answered honestly, "Everyone comes with their own set of issues. I'm here, right now as a friend, maybe somewhere down the line, maybe more. If I can help, I will and if you need space, I can do that too." Looking at her plate, he saw that she was finished. "How about we go?" Nodding, she took one last sip of coffee and Henry threw a couple bills on the table for tip, then approached the counter to pay.

Phyllis stepped out of the kitchen and wiped her hands on her apron. Henry paid and they said their goodbyes and he led Elizabeth out to the car.

As Henry got in on the driver's side, Elizabeth looked at him wide-eyed. "Do you know what I just realized? I slept last night, not a long time, probably only four hours, but I didn't have any nightmares, and I woke up and felt like I'd actually slept. That hasn't happened in a long time."

Henry backed the car up and headed back to the dorms. "Maybe you should get stranded in a cabin during a rainstorm more often," Henry joked.

"I'm pretty sure it was the company I was than the situation." Elizabeth fidgeted in her seat, looking like she was trying to decide if she should say what she was thinking. "Listen, Henry, it's really hard for me to trust and feel safe around people, especially people that I don't know really well. If we continue to spend time together, there will be times when I do bizarre things or overreact to something dumb or act standoffish for no apparent reason. Please believe me when I say that it's not you, it's me. My shrink assures me that if I see her once a week, every week until sometime shortly before hell freezes over, she will cure me."

Henry laughed and glanced over at her to ask seriously, "Is it okay to ask what happened?"

Elizabeth looked at him solemnly. "You can ask, but I'm not ready to answer that yet. I haven't had a great track record of sharing my story.. That's how my last relationship ended."

"The two year guy?" Elizabeth nodded and Henry was stunned. "Someone dated you for two years, you shared something from your life and he dumped you? What an ass!"

"Yeah, that pretty much sums it up." They rode the rest of the way in silence. As Henry turned into the parking lot, he said, "I have a paper to type, so I will be in the computer lab in an hour or so, but after that, I'll be in our spot. Will I get to see you?"

"Do you still want to? See me, I mean?" she asked. He could hear the casual tone of her question and he knew if was forced.

"I don't want to be seen with anyone else." Henry said softly. He knew what he would do in a normal situation such as this, but Elizabeth had just unloaded a big pile of confusion and uncertainty in his lap. Suddenly he didn't know how much would be too much or how far would be too far. He reached up and put his hand around the back of her neck. He felt her muscles tense under his hand, but she didn't resist him pulling her closer. He placed a kiss on her forehead and released her. "See you in a bit?"

"Yeah, in a bit." Elizabeth smiled. "Thanks for breakfast," she said and then she was out of the car walking into the building.


	3. Chapter 3

AN: Here's this little addition. Hope you enjoy!

Chapter 3

Henry drove home, parked and went upstairs to his apartment to gather what he would need for the afternoon. He thoughts were elsewhere, Elizabeth's off handed statement about her previous boyfriend was bothering him. He tried to imagine what someone would have to share that would make a person walk away after two years. He thought that surely if this guy had spent two years as Elizabeth's boyfriend, that he loved her, at least on some level. Every scenario he thought of was terrible, but nothing necessitated walking away, especially when you are supposed to love her.

He caught himself thinking about what a loser this guy was and flopped down on the couch. This was the exact kind of judgemental response he'd given Elizabeth when he first met her, and look how wrong that turned out to be. Henry ran his hands through his hair. This guy, bad or good, wasn't his business and it did no good to analyze that situation. His own situation was the one that needed attention.

The simple fact was that he liked Elizabeth, a lot. He liked her even more than he thought possible only knowing her a short time. For reasons he couldn't exactly explain, Henry was drawn to her like a moth to a flame. If he was really truthful, short of her saying she was a serial killer, Henry would probably make himself be fine with whatever she told him.

Obviously, she had been hurt by the previous guy, or maybe even others, and then there was the thing that she shared. He could see well enough that pushing her would do no good. His best course of action was to just be there and hope that, at some point, she would tell him.

He rose from the couch, finished loading his backpack and headed to the library.

His paper typed and printed, Henry headed to the study area a little later than what he was expecting. Walking around the corner, he frowned when he saw that the far corner spot was empty. He made his way to the back corner and the room and sat in the seat next to the corner one. Elizabeth could have the seat when she got there.

Henry settled in and got to work. Over the next few hours, he checked his watch several times and finally deciding that she wasn't going to show up, he gathered his things and headed home. Henry spent the evening what had happened. Elizabeth seemed fine when he left her. Henry wondered if he misread the situation. He thought that she liked him. Maybe when she got home and started thinking about it, she decided differently. Either way, he told her that he would give her space, so he fixed himself a sandwich and stared mindlessly at the TV for the rest of the evening

Elizabeth was MIA on Monday too. Tuesday morning, Henry stopped by and waited for her class to get out, hoping that he could catch her, but she wasn't there. It was then that Henry shifted from thinking that Elizabeth was avoiding him to thinking that maybe something was wrong. As Henry walked across campus, he was kicking himself for not getting her phone number.. He knew which building she lived in, but other than that, he had no way of contacting her.

Henry walked up on the front porch of Johnson House as someone left, so he walked in the door. "How difficult could this be?" he mumbled. "Only 7 floors of girls." He happened to catch a couple of girls walking out and asked them. They shook their heads. It took about 30 minutes and two dozen people, but he got a lead, unsettling as it was. Three girls came in and he asked the same question. "I'm looking for Elizabeth Adams. Do you know which room is hers?"

Two of the girls gave him blank looks, but the third elbowed one of her friends in the arm. "Is that Becky's roommate. The screamer?"

"Oh yeah. Maybe. Her name is Elizabeth." Henry grimaced. That didn't sound promising.

"Try the third floor, all the way to the end of the hall. Next to the fire escape. I'm not sure if it's on the left or right though. Good luck finding her." and they disappeared down the hall.

Henry climbed the stairs to the third floor and headed down the long hallway. When he got to the end, he was happy to see that the original nametags were still on the door. He knocked softly. He waited a few seconds and then knocked again a little louder. He heard some shuffling sounds from the other side of the door. Henry was just about to knock a third time when the door opened a crack. He couldn't see her well, but it was Elizabeth. Henry let out a sigh of relief and then she spoke.

"What are you doing here Henry?" Her voice was solemn and had a edge of coldness.

He swallowed. He didn't think he expected her to be joyous, but he didn't think a little warmth was unreasonable. "You didn't come on Sunday afternoon. Or Monday. And you didn't go to class today."

"Are you following me?"

"I was worried about you. Can I come in?" Henry asked, surprised that his own voice sounded distant and foreign to him.

"No. I don't let people in my room." He took a step back, trying to decide if she was telling him to leave. "Hold on," she said, and closed the door. She reappeared after a few minutes wearing a windbreaker, sweatpants, and sunglasses. "Come on," she said as she pushed open the fire escape door. Henry followed and watched as she sat down on the top step.

"Can I join you?" he asked, now unsure of everything. He could tell she'd been crying and wanted nothing more than to comfort her but he didn't know how. In this moment, she was a completely different person that the one he sat on the hill with or the one he'd eaten breakfast with

"Yeah." Elizabeth sighed and rested her chin in the palms of her hands, elbows on her knees. "I'm surprised you took the time to find me."

"Like I said, I was worried. It didn't take too long to find you. Are you okay?" He asked.

"No. I'm not, but I'll get better eventually" Elizabeth kept her head down. "This year, it snuck up on me. I wasn't expecting it for another couple weeks."

"Expecting what?" Henry asked.

She laughed ruefully, gesturing wildly at herself. "This. This whole bawling can't pull my shit together fucking mess."

"What can I do to help?" Elizabeth turned to look at him, her face completely blank as if she had no idea what he could possibly be talking about. He continued, "I know what I want to do, but I don't know how well it would be received."

"What would you do?" she asked.

"I would pull you close and hug you and tell you that everything will be alright."

The noise that escaped her was something between a strangled laugh and sob. "Yeah, you're right. That wouldn't be well received." She pushed her sunglasses up on her head and looked at him. Henry studied her. Her eyes, red and puffy, the brilliant blue dulled by the tears that lay just below the surface. He didn't know if he'd ever seen pain in someone's eyes before, but that's what he felt like he was looking at-pain and sorrow and maybe even fear. She tensed under his scrutinous gaze and shifted her entire body away from him. "I appreciate you caring though," she whispered.

Yes, it was fear. Her reaction made him certain. He scooted down a step and pressed his back into the brick facade of the building, widening the gap between them by several inches. "Are you afraid of me Elizabeth?" he asked. Henry wasn't sure he wanted the answer, but he suddenly felt like he needed to know where he stood before he invested himself anymore than he had already..

"You, personally? No," she answered. "What this" she pointed to both of them, "might mean? I'm absolutely terrified of that. Along with a lot of other things."

"What is it that this might mean?" he asked, pointing for effect. "That you might like someone well enough to get to know him better?"

"I can't go through that kind of loss again, or the pain of what it might lead to."

"Your ex?" Henry asked, doubting this was the case because she hadn't seemed that upset when she spoke of him.

"No," she laughed, "I didn't really care for him all that much." Elizabeth stated.

Henry was silent for a long while. Finally, he turned to look up at Elizabeth. "I want to try this out and see if we have something. I want to be there for you and support you. But, I can't force you to accept it." Henry reached down and opened his backpack. He grabbed a notebook and scribbled something down, folded the paper and handed it to Elizabeth. "I won't push you. I'll still be in our spot at the library if you want to drop by. Otherwise, you can give me a call if you need anything.. If nothing else, I'd like to be your friend. It looks like you could use one." Standing, Henry bent over and dropped a kiss on the top of her head He headed down the metal staircase. As he turned the corner of the building to head home, he heard the third floor fire escape door slam shut and he felt the air leave his lungs and his heart literally hurt.


	4. Chapter 4

AN: This chapter mentions assault. The nature is unknown.

Chapter 4

A week had passed and Henry had all but given up. No phone call, no library. He didn't even see her coming out of class. Obviously he didn't mean as much to her as she did to him. He laughed at himself. Of course he didn't. They'd only known each other a few days. He was the one attached to someone who was, for all intents and purposes, a stranger.

Grabbing his backpack, and tucking the book he was reading under his arm, he headed to the library. Henry had resumed his original spot after several days of Elizabeth not showing up and by all outward appearances, things were back to normal for Henry. Study, class, work, study, sleep. Rinse and repeat. Ad nauseum. The only problem was that Henry wasn't okay. He was constantly thinking, and worrying, about Elizabeth.

Sitting down, he rubbed his hand over his face and sighed. He had things that needed to be done and he needed to push Elizabeth to the back of his mind, or out of it altogether. He laughed at himself. Like that was going to happen anytime soon, but the effort needed to be made.

He settled in and started taking notes for a paper he needed to write. Henry was so focused that he didn't notice the person standing before him on the opposite side of the table. He jumped when someone pulled the chair out opposite him. His head snapped up and stared at the girl sitting across from him. "Can I help you?" he asked.

"You are Henry, right?" she asked in return. Henry looked the girl over. She was slender with a long face and straight dark brown hair. She was dressed nicely, had dark circles under her eyes and looked generally exhausted.

"Yes. Henry McCord. I'm sorry. I don't believe I know you."

"You don't. My name is Becky Grant. I came to talk about Elizabeth."

"What about? I'm pretty sure she wants nothing to do with me."

"Well, here's the thing Henry. I'm well past the point of giving a shit about what Elizabeth wants. The chick is batshit crazy and my only hope of making it through finals is you."

Henry was about to come to Elizabeth's defense at the batshit crazy comment, but decided against it. She had already told him that she had some erratic behavior, and he didn't live with her, so how was he to know. Instead, he opted for fact finding. If Elizabeth wouldn't tell him what was going on, maybe Becky could.

"Why do you think I can help?" he asked.

"Because you're the one she calls for in her dreams. She pleads for you to help her. And by God, it would be great if you would. I haven't slept since her shrink told her she had to sleep at night. We got along great when we kept opposite hours. Now I'm ready to kill her. No, that's not true. I want to strangle the shrink and let Elizabeth go back to the way she was. Either way, I'm moving at semester, but I need to make it until then."

"And your oh so elegant, and rather self-serving, plea is supposed to make me come to her aid, when she obviously wants me to stay away?" Henry stared at her.

"I don't think she wants you to stay away. And, yeah, it is self serving, but not entirely. Those few days when she was spending time with you were the best ones she had since she got here, and when she came back from your date, she was on cloud nine. I have no idea what flipped the switch, but I don't think it has anything to do with you. She doesn't remember everything she does when she sleeps, If she did, I think she would be camped out on your doorstep seeking whatever it was that made her so happy. That's just my take on it. I need you, but Elizabeth needs you more. Just think about it, okay?" With that, Becky rose from her spot across from Henry. She removed a slip of paper from her jeans pocket and slid it across the table to Henry. "It's our phone number."

Two days later, Henry was paying for a coffee and reached in his pocket to get change and pulled out the phone number. He sighed, looking at the number for probably the hundredth time since Becky had given it to him. He wasn't a phone call kind of guy. He would go see her. Turning to the cashier, he asked, "Can I get a second cup to go?"

Ten minutes later, he was standing in front of Elizabeth's dorm room door. He knocked. After waiting a full minute, he knocked again. "Elizabeth. Would you please open the door?" He heard shuffling and a chair scooting across the floor. Then the door opened. "Hi," he said. "I brought you something." Henry handed her the coffee.

"Thanks," she said. "Why did you come?"

"To bring you a coffee, and to see how you're doing." he said. "How are you doing?" he asked quietly.

"I'm getting by," she lied.

"I want to talk to you." he said. He leaned against the doorframe and she took a step back, leaving her foot pressed to the bottom of the door, holding the door open only a crack. He lost sight of her for a moment behind the door. "Am I too close?" he asked, seeing that his proximity to her was causing her discomfort.

"Yes," she said, unable to contain all of the panic that was rising within her. Henry could hear Elizabeth's shallow breaths.

"Would it be better if I leaned against the wall over here, and maybe sat down?" He sensed there was something to the space thing, although it greatly confused him that she had offered to let him sleep on the bed with her that night in the cabin and she had held his hand on the way down to the car. The Elizabeth in front of him now, would never have allowed either of those things to happen. She nodded almost imperceptibly. Immediately he stepped back across the hall and slid down the painted concrete block until he ended up sitting with his knees against his chest. He shifted his feet so he could stretch them out across the hall, still holding his cup of coffee.

"Just a second," she said, and closed the door. He heard shuffling and then the door opened. She sat down in a chair inside the room just far enough that the door would clear her and could shut if need be. She had the coffee in one hand and her other hand rested on the door knob. Henry eyed the hand on the door knob. If he had to guess, he bet that the door was already locked and she just had to push it shut.

Henry had been watching Elizabeth's body language carefully and while he was definitely confused about her behavior on their date, he didn't think he was off the mark. "How long ago did it happen?" he asked quietly.

"How long ago did what happen?" Elizabeth asked the question, but the ridge across her forehead became more pronounced. She knew he knew.

"The assault."

She dropped her eyes. "I don't know what you are talking about." Again, a lie.

"You sit in a spot in the library where no one could could catch you off guard. You wouldn't come into my apartment so I could change, You wouldn't let me walk you to your room, Later, you told me that you don't let people in. You physically moved back from me on the fire escape when I held your line of sight for too long. Just a minute ago, you pulled back when I got too close to you in the doorway and I would bet money right now, that the door is already locked and if I were to do anything remotely threatening, that door would be shut before I could make a move to get off the floor. And I'm not even touching the nightmares, the shrink, or the staying in the library until the sun comes up. So, should I ask again?"

On one hand, he felt like he was being terribly pushy, invasive really, and that wasn't his thing. On the other, he saw that Elizabeth didn't seem to be in a position to seek help for herself, so he reasoned that someone needed to give her a push. Becky thought so too and had nominated him, so that's what he was doing and he hoped it was the right thing to do.

"I think you should go now." She stood and started to close the door.

"I should go because I'm wrong or because I'm too close to the truth?" She stopped in her tracks. "You are obviously going through something very difficult and I'm not here to judge you, only to offer an ear. You consume all of my thoughts and you have since the day you showed up in the library and tried to kick me out of my chair. I don't want you to struggle. I don't want you to have to face it alone. And, this is unrelated, but I think you should consider finding a new psychiatrist. If you've told this one how bad the nights are and she's asking you to push through it, she sucks and you need someone better. Just my two cents on that one though."

Elizabeth opened her mouth to speak, but Henry continued on, "I'm not sure what the difference was, but the person that I spent time with at the cabin isn't the same person standing here now. I was kind of falling for her, so if you see her around, let her know that I'm looking for her."

Elizabeth's eyes met Henry's. He could see the tears building and the sheer determination it took her to keep them from falling. "That's unfortunate for both of you. She doesn't come around very often. But, for the record, she really liked you too.

Goodbye Henry." Elizabeth pushed the door shut.

He heard what he guessed to be Elizabeth throwing herself on the bed sobbing. He knocked once, but she wouldn't answer. Henry leaned against the wall and wished he had done something different. He pushed too hard and he knew it, but he didn't see another way around it. Obviously this whole thing wasn't meant to be, but as he turned to walk away, he threw up a silent prayer asking God to look out for Elizabeth and somehow get her the help she needed.

October faded into November and Thanksgiving became finals which turned into Christmas break. Henry only saw Elizabeth twice during that time, both happened to be from a distance during finals week. He wasn't close, but he could tell she'd lost weight. Her gaunt features sent a chill up his spine. He wanted to chase her down, but he knew she didn't want that and truthfully, he didn't want that either. He'd spent the better part of two months trying to get over her. He didn't need to drag all of that back up again.

When he returned to school in January, he decided that he was going to make an extra effort to put himself out there more often. Being a junior, most of his friends had found a significant other. He saw the writing on the wall. This was probably going to be his best chance of finding a special someone, given that he hadn't made much effort up to this point. He found that lots of girls, well, women he supposed, were interested in him. The problem was that he compared them to Elizabeth. A few were pretty, but not as pretty as Elizabeth. No one came remotely close to being as smart or could challenge him in conversation the way she did. He pressed on though, figuring that eventually he would find the person he was meant to be with.

It was the first week in March, the weather uncharacteristically bleak for the time of year and Henry was sitting in his library spot, looking out the window, watching people scurry across campus, to and from class. He was lost in his thoughts when a familiar voice spoke to him, snapping his attention back inside the walls. "Is this seat taken?" she asked.

In spite of himself, his lips curled into a slight smile, "It depends who wants to sit there."

"May I?"

"Go ahead," he said. She pulled out the chair across from him and sat down. He looked her over. "Elizabeth." Henry paused trying to piece some words together. "You look good."

"I feel good," she said. "I came by because I wanted to thank you."

"Thank me?" Henry was confused. "For what?

"You told me that I needed a new therapist. Wow! That was life changing. It wasn't enough to keep Becky from moving out, but I get it. Living with me was no picnic. But, we're still friends. She only lives three doors down. We see each other all of the time."

"That's great. I'm really happy for you." Henry said, and he meant it, but he couldn't help but feel that twinge of pain in his heart. Ignoring it, he continued on. "How are your classes going this spring?"

"Oh, they're fine. A little on the boring side actually. My therapist convinced me that I needed to take a lighter load this semester to give myself time to really work on healing. Not having the distraction of studying is both a blessing and a curse though." Henry kept his eyes fixed on her. He wasn't sure what he was supposed to say, or if he was supposed to say anything. Henry opted to stay silent.

"So I bet you're wondering why I'm here." Elizabeth said. "I came to ask you to help me with my therapy homework."

"Why?" His response was terse and his voice had a hardness in it that he wasn't sure where it came from. Elizabeth blinked, but was otherwise able to maintain her composure. "I'm sorry," Henry said. "That was uncalled for."

"It's fine. I hurt you and your reaction is completely understandable. Now, as to the why, it's because I hurt you and part of what I have to do to get better is to make reparations to those that I've hurt.

Henry was surprised and uncomfortable by this unusual and oddly intimate request from someone he hadn't spoken to in five months. "Okay. What do I need to do?"

"I need you to listen to my story."


	5. Chapter 5

AN: TRIGGER WARNING: The following topics are touched upon in this chapter: incest, rape, attempted suicide, and drug overdose. If these would upset you, you should not read this chapter. You can scroll down to the bottom for a short summary of what happened and pick up the story with the next chapter.

Also, this story is told from Henry's point of view, so there are obviously things that are missing and are left out purposely because Henry wouldn't know them.

Chapter 5

Henry walked across campus, the Friday before Spring Break, to meet Elizabeth. It was at his insistence that they wait until right before Spring Break to meet, so that he could study for midterms in peace. Now, he was kicking himself. He should've just let her sit down last week and say what she had to say right then, and he would have been done with it. Postponing it only made Henry dwell on her all week, and if he was honest, it excited him and pissed him off all at the same time. He had worked hard to get over her and now she was just waltzing back into his life. Henry would be damned if fell for her again.

He saw her up ahead. She was sitting on a blanket in the middle of a large grassy area known as "The Hill." Sidewalks criss-crossed the wide spanse, but Elizabeth had expertly picked a spot that would be in plain sight of everyone, but out of earshot. She wanted to be able to be seen, but not heard. She was sitting, with her head down, reading a book, but as Henry approached, she raised her head and smiled shyly. "I wasn't sure you would come."

"Neither was I," Henry responded truthfully.

"I'm glad you did. Please, have a seat." Henry nodded and sat down on the opposite corner of the blanket, leaving about four feet between them. "So," she took a deep breath. "I asked if you would come here so I could explain why I acted the way I did and to apologize." She stopped and closed her eyes. "This was much easier when I talked to Becky."

"Why?" The question was out there before Henry could stop it.

She blushed. "Because I knew exactly where that relationship stood. I knew upfront what I would need to do to repair it."

"We didn't have a relationship," he said. He hoped he said it as a statement and not an accusation. He didn't mean it that way. It's just what it was.

"But I hoped there would be one." Her eyes broke contact with his and stared at her hands. "I still hope there can be one." Her voice was almost inaudible. Henry didn't think he could put a name to all of the emotions he had coursing through him in that moment, but fury, sadness, and strangely enough, hope, were among them.

"I won't make any promises,"

"I know, and I don't expect you to. Alright, let me start by saying that the brief amount of time I spent with you was probably the most wonderful I've had in at least the last six years and maybe longer. It was just terribly poor timing though. I came back from breakfast that day and was so very happy, but then all I wanted to do was to share it with my mom. I just wanted to tell her how happy I was that I had finally found someone. Someone I thought I could love and who would love me. The reality of my situation just came crashing down around me."

Henry tried to follow but was confused. Elizabeth read the confusion and continued. "You see, my parents were killed in a car accident six years ago. Both sets of grandparents were deceased so we went to my aunt and uncle. They weren't prepared to take my brother and I, and had no desire to do so. They sent us, to boarding schools. In the summers, we were allowed to live there as long as we didn't bother them. It was a lonely existence. My brother has always been very outgoing, so he managed to find friends to stay with. I, on the other hand, tend to be more introverted, and find it hard to put myself out there, so I ended up just staying back and dealing with what that entailed." She paused, letting all of that sink in.

"I was already upset just about missing them and then it was compounded by the anniversary of their deaths."

"Which is?" Henry interrupted to ask.

"November 6th." Henry thought about the timeline and remembered what she said about it hitting earlier than usual.

"I am sorry about your parents. I can't imagine how hard it has been for you, especially ending up in a family that doesn't seem to love you." He sat watching her. "But that's not all, is it? Your boyfriend of two years, wouldn't leave you because your parents died and that doesn't explain the other things."

"You are the only one who knows this part, well, except Adam and my therapist." She hung her head. I swear that isn't the way I wanted you find out. You are super perceptive though."

"Are you going to really tell me or are we going to tiptoe around it?" he asked.

"You need to give me a minute dammit. This is hard."

"I'm sorry. I wasn't trying to push." Henry said sincerely.

"I'm going to end up making you piece some things together, because I don't know if I'll be able to just come out and say it. I'll try but, like I mentioned earlier, sharing hasn't gone well for me."

"Alright. If I have a question, will you answer it, truthfully?" Henry asked.

"Either I will answer truthfully or I will just refuse to answer. I won't lie," she said. Henry nodded. He would deal with that.

"I'm also not going to look at you much because I don't think I can take seeing your reaction."

Henry's insides were twisted up. He was afraid of what he was about to hear. There were many nights that he had lain in bed thinking of the various situations that Elizabeth may have found herself in, but nothing had prepared him for how he felt right now.

"It started almost as soon as I got to my aunt and uncle's house. My uncle would come and sit on my bed and hold my hand while I cried for my parents. It didn't bother me. I thought he was just trying to comfort me." Elizabeth looked up. "Do you know how many times I've wondered if I could've stopped it right then if I had said no in the beginning? Instead of thinking it was okay? Instead of thinking he was being nice?" Her look implored him to say something, but he didn't know what he could say.

Finally, he looked her dead in the eye and said, "Don't take responsibility for something he did that was wrong. Don't let him manipulate you into thinking this was your fault, because it wasn't. He was wrong. You are not."

An errant tear made its way down her cheek and settled in the corner of her mouth. Wiping it away with the back of her hand, she continued, "It sort of snuck up on me. I started so small, the hand holding, then it became the hugs that were a little too long and his hands running up and down my back." Henry watched as a shiver ran through her body. She dropped the eye contact. "It seemed that I would come to accept whatever he was doing and then he'd would do go a little further. As much as I hated boarding school, I was anxious to go, to escape. I would happily stay alone for every break, knowing I wouldn't have to go back to my aunt and uncle's house."

She took a deep breath. "I spent my freshman, sophomore, and juniors year keeping to myself, but by my senior year, I made some friends and was a little more known at school. Not like I was popular or anything like that, but just that people outside of my class knew who I was. Adam was also a senior, and he showed an interest in me. He was pretty smart and decent looking and his family had a lot of money, so my friends pressured me to go out with him. He was also going to UVA and I liked him enough. He was nice enough, but because of what my uncle had done and was still doing, I avoided physical contact as much as possible. But, once you've been going out with someone for a certain period of time, there is an expectation, you know?"

She glanced up at Henry. He thought about that for a moment. "Yeah, I know what you mean," thinking himself of things he had done because he thought he was supposed to, now wondering if the girls on the other end felt the same way.

"So I did what I felt like I had to do. It was obvious that I wasn't excited or enjoying it or whatever and Adam was upset. I held off telling him why for a long time, but at the end of our freshman year here, I told him why in hopes that he would want to let me stay with him and not have to go back that summer." Henry watched as her eyes clouded over as she remembered how it had played out. "Needless to say, he broke up with me. He said it was like I was cheating on him and he never wanted to see me again. I had to go back this past summer."

"And it happened even then, when you were older?" Henry asked, trying to keep his voice steady, even though his heart broke for her. Elizabeth didn't answer, but pulled her knees up to her chest and rested her forehead there. He could hear her crying softly.

"I wish there was something I could say that could give you some peace, but I have nothing. I am so deeply sorry. I'm angry that you had to go through that." She still kept her head down. It occurred to Henry that she was embarrassed. "It's not your fault. You were a child in an impossible situation. It's what you've been conditioned to accept." They sat together, but still far apart, for a long time.

"Why were you okay on our date?" Henry asked suddenly. "How were you able to be with me alone in the cabin, even sleep next to me and not freak out?"

Elizabeth looked up. "I truly don't know. I've felt comfortable around you from the first time I met you. Even that first day, I was able to sit with my back to the rest of the library, because I knew you wouldn't let anything happen to me."

"You didn't trust me on the fire escape, or when I came to your room," Henry stated.

"The fire escape wasn't about trust. I was having a hard time because of my parents' death. Then there was that moment when we were sitting on the steps and you looked at me. Do you remember?" Henry nodded. "The way you looked at me, I knew you could see it and I thought you knew. I didn't want you to know. I didn't want anyone to know. I was ashamed and scared. You were the one thing in my life that could be good, and he was taking it away from me. I got angry. So, as soon as you left, I called and told him that he needed to stop and I wasn't going to let him do that anymore."

Henry looked at Elizabeth uneasily. Her head was down, shoulders slumped. She looked broken, very small. She was much different than the person who walked up to him in the library a week ago. Even as his heart pained for her, he realized the great strength she possessed. He reflected on the problems he had with his dad and how down he could get about that, and he realized how stupid he was, how simple his problems were. Perspective, he thought. He looked back at Elizabeth. "He didn't take that well, did he?" Elizabeth shook her head..

"That day, he just hung up on me. I hoped it was over, but I should have known better. That's not his style. I was walking back to my room after class on Friday when he pulled up alongside me and opened the door." She stopped there and was silent for a long time. "I know that second guessing myself doesn't help, but if I had just done something different in that moment. If I had run, or said no, or yelled for help, if I had done anything but get in that damned car. Why did I do that? That was so stupid."

"You can't do that to yourself. You didn't know-"

"But I did know. I did know what would happen. I knew he would make sure I knew that he had control over me. What I didn't know was the spectacular fashion in which he would do it." Elizabeth looked up and made eye contact with Henry. She studied him and he held her gaze. She saw sadness and hurt in his eyes and something else, but it didn't seem angry, not like Adam. "You aren't disgusted? Repulsed by me?" She shrunk back and dropped her head, waiting for what she believed to be the inevitable outcome of this conversation.

Henry thought about how to phrase his response. Finally, he looked at Elizabeth and spoke. "I am disgusted by your uncle and how he manipulated you. He took what was an awful situation for you and magnified it by a thousand times. I don't know how he can stand to live with himself. Now, repulsed by you? Never. How could I be? You were a child, emotionally devastated by your loss. He took advantage of you and conditioned you to believe you somehow deserved his abuse. I'm infuriated, sad, and heartbroken, but definitely not repulsed. And for the record, I don't think you deserved any of it and I don't think of you as less of a person because of it. Actually, you are the strongest person I've ever met."

She raised her head just enough to make eye contact and then she retreated. "That's very kind of you. And very unexpected." She twisted her hands together in her lap. "I thought you would be long gone by this point. I haven't practiced any of this, so from here on out you get the unedited version, and if this doesn't make you run for the hills, then you might be stuck with me forever." She looked up, and when Henry didn't respond, she said, "That was a joke."

"I haven't found any of this funny." He looked at her. "How many other people know what you are about to tell me?" He stopped. "That's an odd question. I don't know why I asked that. Nevermind."

"Besides the two people present, only the psychiatrist, and now you. Becky saw some of the aftermath, but she doesn't know what happened."

"Why do I need to know?"

Elizabeth raised her head and took a deep breath. "Because," she whispered, "There is still a tiny part of me that hopes that you will hang around and maybe we could have something, someday. My brain knows that is the most ridiculous notion ever, but my heart still wants it. But, I won't make the same mistake I did with Adam and tolerate the physical side of a relationship because I am hiding part of myself. Any relationship I am in going forward needs to be based on where I'm at in the healing process. Are you still willing to listen?"

Henry sighed. "Do you know what my New Year's Resolution was?" Elizabeth shook her head. "It was to find someone to replace you." Henry made it a point not to look at her, but was sure he saw her flinch out of the corner of his eye. "I've probably been on thirty dates with 20 different women and you are still the measure to which all are held. You are smart, funny, and the best conversationalist I've ever met, and you're beautiful. I have not met anyone that even begins to compare with you, so as long as I know you are invested in doing what you need to do to work on this, I will try to be here."

Tears ran down Elizabeth's face, but all she said was, "Please don't make any decisions yet. I'm not done." She took another deep breath. "I'm going to stick to the facts and hopefully that will keep me from getting too emotional." She closed her eyes. "So I got in the car and he didn't speak. He drove about 45 minutes and he pulled into a motel parking lot at the edge of what I'm guessing was a small town. It was the only building around, but I could see the outlines of some houses and stuff way up the road. He parked, and went inside." She let out a sharp laugh. "He didn't even bother to tell me to stay. He knew I had nowhere to go."

Henry stopped her. "I don't really know what to do here. I know this will be hard for you. Is there any way for me to help or comfort you?"

Elizabeth screwed up her face. "I don't know. It's been so long since anyone did that. I don't even know what that might look like anymore."

Can I scoot a little closer? I'll sit within arm's reach and if you need me, you can reach out. I won't touch you." Henry offered.

"I guess that would be okay." Henry scooted forward about a foot, still leaving twice that distance between them. He looked up and checked to be sure Elizabeth was fine with that distance. She nodded before continuing.

"He came out with the a key and opened my door. When I didn't get out on my own, he pulled me out by my hair." Henry watched as she touched the right side of her head, as if remembering the pain that was inflicted. "I got out as best I could with him hanging on to the fistful of hair and he ushered me to a door. Room 8. While he unlocked the door, I remember standing there tracing the number with my eyes, around and around. The door opened and he pushed me inside. When I turned to look at him, his eyes were different. He usually looked like he was doing me a favor, but that day they were dark, vengeful and for the first time I was scared." She looked over her shoulder out across the grass. "That seems like an odd thing to say. I should've been scared all along, but I wasn't. Well, maybe that very first time, I was scared of what was happening, but not of him. That doesn't even make any sense. God, this is so fucked up."

Henry swallowed the lump in his throat and willed himself not to break down. Elizabeth spoke of being raped the first time, as though everyone had done it, as if it wasn't a big deal. He supposed when someone endures ongoing trauma, the person has to compartmentalize it, remove the emotion from it, or how would she be able to function at all. Elizabeth started speaking again, and he turned from his thoughts back to her.

"The next part is fuzzy. He hit me in the head with something and I remember the split second feeling of my brain exploding. I must have blacked out. The next thing I remember was waking up and my head was pounding. I was laying on the bed with no clothes on and I was tied to the bed frame by my wrists. Even though my head hurt so bad, I had this image of myself similar to Jesus on the cross. I instinctively crossed my feet and pressed my legs together, like somehow I thought the sacrifice up to that point would be enough, or something. I don't really know why I thought it and I didn't get to dwell on it long. He realized I was conscious and rose from his place at the table to stand over me. He took a long drag off of his cigarette and blew the smoke in my face before he put his cigarette out on my chest and climbed on top of me."

Elizabeth wasn't looking at him, but Henry was sitting cross-legged with his face buried in his hands as she spoke. His mind turned her story into a play by play movie in his mind with her words running like a news ticker across the bottom. When he visualized the cigarette burning her chest and some man climbing on her, his stomach would take no more. "Oh God," he let out as he scrambled off the blanket, only making it about ten feet before falling to his knees and throwing up. Once he was sure he was done, he sat back on his heels and tipped his head back staring up into the cloudless sky. "Why God? Just why do some people have to shoulder so much?" he thought. "I hope he rots in hell." When he felt confident that his legs would hold him up, Henry stood and walked back to the blanket, where Elizabeth sat in her same spot.

"I'm sorry. Are you okay?" she asked quietly.

"I'm fine and I'm sorry," Henry said. "You can go on." She reached over and pulled a water bottle from her backpack and handed it to him. He nodded his thanks, taking a drink and spitting it out on the grass nearby. She took a deep breath before continuing.

"When I screamed because of the burn, he smacked me across the face hard and I blacked out again. I'm pretty sure I had a concussion, because I don't know that getting hit like that under normal circumstances would could someone to lose consciousness, or maybe my mind was just shutting down against the onslaught. Who knows really?" Elizabeth seemed lost in thought on that point for a minute. Henry wondered if that was her way now of blocking out some of the pain, focus on something trivial in the midst of it all.

"Coming back out of it," she swallowed and took several deep breaths, "he was inside of me. He finished and put his underwear back on and went back to the table and read the paper. I remember laying there, exposed and being so cold, his sweat on me, making me colder as it dried. I felt the goosebumps rise to the surface of my skin, but I said nothing. Fearful that if I called attention to myself, he would be back for more. Although, it wasn't like that wasn't his plan to start with.

"The next round that I was conscious for was solely for his amusement. How much pain could I take before I screamed again? I had already decided that I wasn't going to make a sound no matter what he did. At some point, I wondered if I gave in earlier, would he have stopped, but I don't think so. He is just a sadistic son of a bitch. I'll spare you the details, but suffice it to say, my face, neck and hands were spared, but that is about all."

Henry's mind was spinning. He had a lot of questions, some of which he knew he had no right to ask, and some that he doubted she had the answers to. He kept his eyes on her and said nothing. It was her story, she could tell it as she saw fit.

"It was pretty much the same for all of Saturday. Early Sunday morning, he climbed off of me for what I swore had to be the fiftieth time and went to shower. He came out in dressed in a suit and tie and spoke the only words he said to me the entire time. He said 'I gotta get back for Sunday service. You can find your own way back to school.' He untied my left wrist and walked out the door. I listened ad

he started the car, and backed up, but then he pulled back into the spot. I saw his shadow cross the curtains and I thought he was coming back to kill me, but there was just a thump against the door and was gone. When I was sure he was gone , I got my other wrist untied and sat up enough to pull the covers up around me and I cried. I cried more that morning than I ever had in my life. I wished I was dead. I even looked around, hoping to find something to use to kill myself and as luck would have it, I found nothing. I washed my face, put my clothes back on and tried to erase any trace of what had happened.

I picked up all fifteen condom wrappers and the nylon hose he used to tie me up and shoved it in a trash bag, I remade the bed and wiped down the table and sink. I gathered up his food bags and newspapers and cigarette butts and threw it all in the trash bag. When I went to walk out, I found my backpack thrown against the door. I'd forgotten all about it. I picked it up and slung it over my shoulders. I hurt everywhere, but knew I needed to get back to school. I slowly walked over to the dumpster and tossed the bag in and headed down the road in the direction that we came from."

Henry's mouth hung open. "After all that had happened, you walked back, like 30 miles?"

"No, I only walked about five miles and a lady picked me up and took me to the edge of Charlottesville and then I walked the last couple miles to the dorm."

"I need a minute," Henry said. He stood up and ran his hand through his hair and walked in wide circles around where Elizabeth was sitting. He sat back down and looked at Elizabeth. "How did you go on? I don't know that I could have."

"I wasn't planning to," she murmured. Henry looked up. Elizabeth's eyes were watery again. "I got back home after dark Sunday night and I spent about eight hours crouched in the shower. When I got out, I put on my pajamas and took all of the sleeping pills I had left, but it was only eight and evidently that wasn't enough to kill me. I did knock me out until the wee hours of Tuesday morning. I lay there quietly listening to Becky snore and thought of other ways I could kill myself. Becky had back to back classes all morning on Tuesday, so I pretended to sleep until she left and then I climbed up and removed the light fixture from the ceiling. There's a cross beam in the ceiling to hold the fixture. My plan was to loop a scarf around the beam and hang myself. I was all set to do it, standing on the chair and everything when there was a knock at my door.

Someone brought me coffee and told me that I needed a new shrink and told me he had fallen for me the way I did him, even though he knew what had happened to me, at least kind of." She met Henry's eyes again and said, and then you waited outside my door for the longest time. When you finally left, I tried to go through with it and couldn't. I called the counseling center and got the number of someone new and made an appointment for that afternoon.

For the next few weeks, I went every day and I checked myself in for suicide watch over Thanksgiving break and Christmas break. By that point, I didn't think I would necessarily, but I couldn't handle being alone in the dorm. I'm better now, relatively speaking. I usually only go to the therapist once a week and I don't need the sleeping pills. I still have frequent nightmares, but I've learned a few things that help and sometimes I just don't sleep a lot. I spend a lot of time writing my feelings down. So anyway, last week, the therapist and I talked a lot of about the people I hurt because I was hurting and while that might be a reason, it's not an excuse. So, Henry, I am very sorry that I treated you poorly when all you were doing was trying to help. I just wasn't ready to accept it. I know that I hurt you deeply and I wish I'd been in a different place emotionally when we met, because I'd like to think we would've had something special.

"I accept your apology, although I'm not sure one was needed. I am glad that you were able to get the help you needed. I need to think on the rest of it though. I've spent months letting go. I'm not sure I can jump right back in where we left off. My heart wants to, but my brain is saying no way. I need to reconcile that first."

"I understand. I think you've reacted better than I could have ever imagined. I didn't think you'd make it past the first part of the story before leaving, so maybe there's a little hope still."

"Yeah maybe." Henry stood and turned to go, but stopped. "What happened to your uncle? Since only a few people know, it's safe to say you never went to the police, right?"

"No to the police. By the time that I thought maybe I could do it, I felt like the opportunity had passed. At the urging of my therapist, I did get a restraining order against him and he, my aunt, and my brother are all so confused as to why I would do such an awful thing." Elizabeth stood. "One of these days, I'll tell my brother, but I can only handle widening the circle a little at a time."

"Where are you going for Spring Break?" Henry asked, suddenly concerned.

"I'm staying here. I do need to think about plans for summer, since I know where I'm not going." she laughed.

"How do you do that?" Henry asked. Elizabeth tilted her head in confusion. "You just made a joke about not spending the summer with your rapist uncle."

"Sometimes I just get so tired of the tears. I need to laugh, even if it's over inappropriate things. You've had an hour to deal with this, I've had six months that was really 6 years. I know it doesn't look like it, but I've developed some decent coping mechanisms. I mean, I was valedictorian of my high school class, I got a full ride to UVA. I carry a 4.0 GPA. The average person would have no idea what I carry around, and for the most part I'm damn proud of that."

"I see that. It's just hard for me to understand is all." Henry said.

"It fits very neatly into a box for things like casual relationships, class discussions, lunch with friends, or even hanging out at a party Where it doesn't work so well is when I might want to be close to someone, sit and cuddle and watch a movie, or be intimate and all I see is him and all I feel is him. Someday, I hope I'll get there.

"I hope so too." Henry turned and walked back in the direction he'd come from.

AN: Summary: Elizabeth tells Henry how she was hurt by her uncle and asks Henry for forgiveness for dismissing him and cutting off contact and hopes that they can start something again when she is ready.


	6. Chapter 6

AN: The last chapter was way heavy and I didn't want to leave everyone too long with that. So, here's the next installment.

Chapter 6

Henry walked back across campus, straight to his car, started the engine and pulled out of the apartment parking lot. He returned 20 minutes later with a fifth of whiskey and a fast food burger and walked into his apartment. In the span of four hours, he consumed both the sandwich and the alcohol. Henry wasn't prone to using binge drinking as a problem solver, but he thought it might be the easiest way to erase the visuals in his head. What he discovered was that it intensified them and he had a serious hangover for all of Saturday and a good part of Sunday.

Monday morning, Henry sat in his apartment with his hand on the phone. He'd been like that for at least the past fifteen minutes trying to decide if he should call Elizabeth or not. After their meeting on Friday, he had done nothing but think about her. Today, he was mostly thinking about how close she had come to ending her life and how he had inadvertently stopped her. What made him decide at that moment to go see her, when he had looked at the phone number Becky gave him many times before? What made him ultimately decide to go instead of call? That had to be God

Henry was a praying man and consequently had spent a lot of time in prayer over the past few days. He asked God how terrible things could happen to the same people over and over again. He wondered if there was some sort of limit as to how much devastation one person could be allotted. There obviously wasn't, but there should be, and the limit should be about a third of what Elizabeth had been through.

As much as he wanted to think that he could just walk away, and not think of her again, he knew he was kidding himself. He had been drawn to her from the very beginning. Henry's problem now was that when he thought of her, his mind went to the terrible things she had experienced. He knew they couldn't build any kind of lasting relationship if he was putting her trauma as the foundation. Throwing his head back against the couch, he let out a long breath. Of course, so much of their interaction would be based on where she was in her healing process and what she could or couldn't question was how to acknowledge it without letting it take over.

He picked up the phone and punched in Elizabeth's number before he could change his mind. She picked up on the second ring, "Hello?"

"Hi." He skipped a beat. "It's Henry."

"Hi." She sounded shy to him. He wondered if this was a mistake.

"I was wondering if you were doing anything this afternoon. I thought we could, maybe do something. Together."

She giggled. "Together, huh? I think I could manage that. What do you have in mind?"

"I don't know. I hadn't got that far yet. I wasn't sure you'd be interested." Henry said.

"I tell you what. I'll plan. Wear jeans and shoes you don't mind getting dirty. You can pick me up around 1."

"Don't eat. I'll take you out for lunch first."

"Sounds good." Elizabeth waited a few seconds. "I'm happy you called."

"I am too. See you at 1. Bye"

"Bye."

Three hours later, Henry pulled into the Johnson House parking lot and saw Elizabeth sitting on the bench outside the door. His breath caught in his throat as he watched her stand and walk to the car. She was dressed in jeans, a loose fitting long sleeve t-shirt and boots. Her hair was back tucked under a ball cap with her ponytail pulled through the hole in the back. She was halfway to the car, when he came to his senses and leaped out of the car to open the door for her.

She laughed. "Were you distracted?" she asked.

"You look really nice today." Henry suddenly felt uncomfortable. He wanted to lean in and give her a kiss, but instead shifted uneasily..

"What?' she asked, stepping back.

"It's awkward. I don't know what is and isn't okay." Henry answered truthfully.

"I'll add to the confusion, by saying that it changes by the hour." She offered him a small smile. "If I were to ask you to stop doing something, would you?"

"Of course," Henry said, offended that she thought she needed to ask.

"Please, don't take that personally. I've obviously been around people with boundary issues. Asking is the way that I say I want firm boundaries." He nodded in understanding. "You be you. Do what you would normally do, and if I think it's too much, I'll let you know."

"You're sure? You won't just let me think you're fine if you're not." Henry asked. He'd spent a good amount of time over the weekend thinking about this as it pertained to her previous boyfriend and perhaps him.

She smiled at him, "I promise."

"Okay then. I call a do over. Go back." Henry said, heading around the front of the car.

"What?" She was smiling, but confused.

"I'm serious," he said. "Go back up the sidewalk. We're having a do over. Like starting again. Did you not have those in playground games as a kid?"

She shrugged, "Alright." She turned and walked up the sidewalk.

"That's good. Now turn around and come back." Henry instructed.

"You're weird," she said, as she started walking back toward him.

"I promise. It won't be the last time you think that." he laughed as they met by the front of the car. "Hi. You look great today." He slipped his fingers through hers and pressed a kiss to her cheek. "What do you think about hitting Mac's before we go on our adventure?"

"I'd like that," she smiled widely and he gently tugged her toward the car and opened the door for her.

They walked into Mac's Diner a few minutes later and sat down in a window seat. "Long time, no see," Phyllis said as she slapped a couple menus on the table. "I thought you two were avoiding me."

Henry laughed and Elizabeth answered, "You have exclusive rights to us. This is date number 2."

Phyllis elbowed Henry, "Dang son, you move slow. What's it been? Six months?"

"Yeah, something like that." Henry shrugged, "I know I want a Coke. Elizabeth?"

"Tea with lemon, please." Phyllis nodded and disappeared. Right away, Phyllis returned with their drinks and took their orders. Cheeseburgers and fries.

When Phyllis left to turn in the order, Elizabeth looked at Henry. "How come you didn't go home for break?"

"Oh, I could pick up a few extra hours at my job and I didn't really want to go home, at least not all week. I might go home Friday and come back on Sunday."

"How come?" Elizabeth opened a package of crackers that were in a caddy at the edge of the table and took a bite of one.

"My dad and I don't see eye to eye on a lot of things. We argue a lot and it's just a lot less stressful for everyone if I don't hang around too long."

"That's unfortunate," Elizabeth said, still munching her cracker. "I wish I could have one more argument with my dad." She blinked. "Shit, that was heavy. I know, everyone has issues with their parents, but not having the option makes you want even the not so good parts. Sorry. So, what do you fight about?"

"I want different things than he did at my age. He wanted a life in the steel mill. It's steady work, decent money, a Union job with good benefits. It's everything he wanted to be able to provide for his family. But, it's not what I want. I want to go to school and see things outside of Pittsburgh. So I worked hard and got good grades. I joined ROTC, so I could get in with the Marines. He just doesn't understand that. He thinks I'm rejecting him by not wanting the same things. He puts down my choices, and I get offended and we argue."

"Just make sure you tell him you love him, even if you fight all of the time. That's what I've learned losing my parents. I wish I had just one more chance to make that right."

"They knew. I'm sure of it," Henry said as he reached across the table and ran his thumb over the back of her hand. She gave him a sad smile and just then Phyllis arrived with their food.

They chatted about their classes and upcoming papers over lunch. Elizabeth ate quickly and spent the rest of their discussion stealing fries off of Henry's plate. As they finished, Henry asked, "So where are we going?"

"Back to my roots," she said.

"And what's that mean?"

"Just my favorite thing to do when I was growing up, and no, I'm not telling. It's a surprise." She winked at him, with her bright, twinkling eyes and Henry smiled.

"You're beautiful," he said. Henry watched her face fall. He followed it with, "And I'm going to keep telling you that until you believe it. Elizabeth Adams, you are a beautiful person, inside and out."

Elizabeth shifted her gaze and said, "If you're ready, we can go." Henry paid, and they headed out.

She was quiet as they headed out and Henry wondered if he should ask. Maybe there was some sort of connotation about being beautiful that he was unaware of. She said that she would tell him and she didn't. He let it be. As they got closer, he sensed Elizabeth getting excited. She directed him to turn and he saw the sign. "Horseback riding?" he laughed. "You know I'm a city kid, right?"

"You'll be fine." Henry pulled into a parking space. "Come on slowpoke," she said barreling out of the car.

By the time Henry caught up with Elizabeth, she was already through the gate and headed into the barn. "Hey, you could wait for your date."

"Sorry, you were slow. Have you ever ridden before?" she asked.

Henry cocked his head and rolled his eyes, "Do I look like I've ridden before? I already told you I'm a city kid."

"That doesn't necessarily mean you never ventured out of the city." Elizabeth turned to the teenage boy working in the next stall over. "Can we ride Jasper and Meredith?" He nodded.

Henry leaned in. "You know their names?" he whispered.

She laughed, and threw her hip against him, "I come here a lot. Riding is therapeutic. That, and I like the wind in my hair." she grinned and spread the blanket out over Jasper before she took the saddle from the boy and hoisted it over the horse's back. She made quick work of the buckles and had the bridle on in a few minutes. "Hold this," she said, handing the reins to Henry.

Elizabeth then walked Meredith out of her stall and saddled her as well. Henry watched in awe. She had no fear working around these animals that were at least two heads taller and outweighed her by at least a couple hundred pounds. She turned to look at Henry. "Are you ready?" she asked.

He looked confused. "I didn't know I had options."

She laughed a hearty full of joy laughter that made Henry smile. "You'll be great. First lesson is getting on the horse. Let's go." Elizabeth motioned for him to follow. She clicked her tongue, "Come on Jasper." The horse followed and so did Henry. She led them to a set of wooden steps at the edge of a corral. "Come here Jasper. That's it boy," she crooned Elizabeth walked the horse up next to the step. She turned to Henry. "Up you go, sir,"

"You don't think I can get on a horse from the ground?" Henry didn't seem amused.

"I think it's harder than it looks, but if you want to try, be my guest. Are you taking instruction or are you doing this on your own?" Henry seemed to take that into consideration.

He looked at Elizabeth. "Will you make fun of me for using the step?"

"No. It's your first time on a horse, but I will totally mock you if you get cocky and try from the ground and can't do it." She smirked . "What's it going to be McCord?"

Henry threw his hands up in the air, "Fine," he said, stepping up on box. "What do I do?"

Elizabeth led Meredith around so Henry could see them. "First, fold up the reins and hold them in your left hand like this," she said, taking the reins and doubling them up and placing them in his hand. She did her own and then continued. "Then, take your left hand with the reins and grab hold of the horse's mane, right here. Right hand on the saddle horn. Left foot in the stirrup, and pull yourself to a standing position. Then throw your right leg over and put your foot in the stirrup, balance yourself and sit." She looked Henry over. "Got it?" He nodded.

"Reins, mane, saddle horn, left foot, pull up, swing over, sit" Henry had a smug smile across his face. "Not bad if I do say so myself."

"You're a natural," she said grinning and nudged Meredith's sides and took off at a slow walk. "Nudge him with your feet and follow." Henry did as he was told and Jasper took off walking. "Do you want to do the long or short trail?" she called over her shoulder.

"Is one more difficult? If they are about the same, Let's take the long one," Henry said, letting Elizabeth lead the way. The horses knew these trails well and the riders were just along for the ride, literally. Henry quickly became accustomed to the pace and steady footfalls of Jasper. The trail led them through forested areas and opened up into a large meadow

Elizabeth looked over her shoulder at Henry. "Do you mind if I ditch you for a minute? I want to run Meredith. It will only take 10 minutes or so."

"Sure. Do I just keep going?" Henry asked.

"Yeah. I'm just going to run the meadow. I'll be able to see you most of the time." With that, she patted the horse's neck. "Let's run girl." Elizabeth pushed her heels into Meredith's side and leaned in. The horse took off like a shot across the meadow, then cut down along the fence ran the perimeter. At the far end, she turned the horse back up the field and headed back towards Henry. His eyes were fixed on her. The ends of her hair standing straight out of her ponytail. By the time she made it back to Henry, she wore the biggest smile he could possibly imagine. She was absolutely radiant. "That was amazing. It scared me to death, but you obviously know what you're doing."

"I wish I could do this every day," she said. "It completely clears my mind."

"Why can't you?" he asked.

"The way my classes are scheduled, it only works for me to come out on Wednesdays and on the weekend. If I have the option next year, I'll plan my schedule so that I have bigger blocks of time and maybe I can ride more often."

"Do you think I'm ready to go faster than a walk?" Henry asked, "Or is that being cocky?" He grinned at her.

"Just nudge her a little bit until he's going as fast as you want to go. If you need to slow down, pull back on the reins a little bit. Nothing crazy though, just enough to get Jasper's attention."

"Seems easy enough." Henry nudged Jasper and he did go faster. Henry picked a pace he was comfortable with and Elizabeth matched it.

"You're sure you haven't been on a horse before? You're doing very well," she commented.

"Thanks. As long as I don't get ahead of myself." Henry smiled at Elizabeth as she fell in step behind him as they made their way through a narrow part of the path. They finished the trail in silence and Elizabeth showed Henry how to brush down the horse and where the feed and water was. Several hours had passed and they were walking to the car.

"Thanks for coming with me and trying something new," Elizabeth said.

Henry turned to look at her and give a witty response, but it flew out of his head. She looked stunning and in that moment, he wanted nothing more than to pull her close and thoroughly kiss her. He didn't think that was appropriate for a second date, so his scrambled brain tried to come up with something to say on the fly. "Can I make you dinner?" he asked suddenly.

Elizabeth looked like she was a little taken aback, but smiled through it while she made up her mind. He guessed she was thinking through the possible outcomes of that. "I think I'd like that, but can you drop me off at the dorm, so I can shower? Then I'll come over later."

"That's good. What do you want? I'm sure I'll need to stop by the store anyway, so we can have whatever.

Henry opened the car door and Elizabeth got in. When Henry joined her and started the car, she reached out and touched his arm. "Do you ever make breakfast for dinner?" She looked hopeful.

"How do you feel about pancakes?" raising his eyebrows like a fool.

She giggled, "I love pancakes and bacon and sausage and eggs and basically all breakfast food."

"You're lucky. I'm your guy. And, thanks for bringing me here. I had a lot of fun and I really enjoyed watching you ride." Henry laced his fingers through hers and brought her hand up and kissed the back of it. He received a genuine smile in return.

After dropping Elizabeth off, Henry stopped by the grocery store and picked up some bacon, milk and juice. He hurried home, showered and picked up the apartment. An hour later, he was just getting set up when there was a soft knock at the door. He wiped his hands on a towel and went to get the door. He opened it to find Elizabeth standing there, holding a half gallon of ice cream.

"HI," she said brightly. "I decided to bring dessert."

"Mmm, rocky road." Henry took the box from her, squeezed her hand and started toward the freezer. He sensed she wasn't following, so he turned to look at her. Henry caught her blinking back tears. "What's wrong?" he asked, stepping back to her, dropping the ice cream box into the chair.

"Was it a mistake to tell you? Do you think of what he did every time you look at me?" The way she asked actually caused him physical pain in his chest.

"No. I only time I thought anything remotely close was when I first picked you up, and I wasn't thinking of him or what he did. I was thinking about you and what might make you uncomfortable. I haven't thought about it since. Now, as for telling me, I don't think it was a mistake. I think it was a lot, maybe more than I wanted to know, but I get why you put it all out there."

"You do?"

"In the past, you've been burned. If I were in your shoes, I would want to know up front where I stood. I get it." He took her by the hand and led her to the couch. "Please. Sit down. There is something we need to talk about though."

Her eyes were wide, a mix of fear and anticipation mixed in them. "Go throw the ice cream in the freezer. I'm not letting good ice cream melt while we discuss my sad life. I'll likely need it later."

Henry grinned at that, "Priorities!" She nodded. "Just to let you know, I don't think it's anything bad."

She sat and Henry returned and sat next to her. "I am struggling with something and every time I think about how to verbalize it, I think I sound like an conceited asshole and I don't know how to get around that."

"Alright, go ahead," Henry watched Elizabeth visibly steel herself to prepare for what he had to say, and it pained him..

Taking a deep breath, he said, "If we are going to have any kind of lasting relationship, it needs to be built on something other than what happened to you. I don't want to pretend like it didn't happen or ignore the effect it will have on us, but we need to be something away from that." Henry paused to gauge her reaction before continuing. She didn't seem upset, so he pressed on, looking down into his hands, not wanting to see how or if his words hurt her. "I can't be your savior. You have to be in charge of your healing, separate from me. I will support you through it, but f something happens and it doesn't end up working out between us, I need to know that you'd be okay with or without me." Finally, looking up he caught her watching him. She looked sad, but not angry. "What are you thinking?" he asked her cautiously

"A lot of things, most of which I need to think through."

"And the other things?" Elizabeth shifted uncomfortably. "You can ask me anything," he said softly.

She dropped her head and whispered, almost inaudibly, "Will I ever be desirable? To you? To anyone?" In that moment, Henry's heart broke for her again.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

 _She dropped her head and whispered, almost inaudibly, "Will I ever be desirable? To you? To anyone?" In that moment, Henry's heart broke for her again._

"Yes, I don't even need to think about it." Henry took her hands in his. "Look at me. You are desirable, so much so. The very first time, when you stood before me in the library, I looked into your eyes and you had me. You aren't defined by the things that have your life. I'm sure that you have trouble seeing past that right now, but rest assured, no one else sees it. You are so much more than that that period in your life. You are most definitely desirable to me and it has everything to do with who are as a person. You are kind, funny, smart, and you challenge me to think in different ways, and you have a quality that draws me to you." He studied her and then said shyly, " In fact, I've spent this whole day fighting the urge to kiss you."

"Really?" Elizabeth whispered, "You _want_ to kiss me?"

"Very much so." He studied her. "That being said, I refuse to push you into doing anything you don't want or aren't ready to do. I absolutely do not want you to ignore your own feelings to do something that you think would please me."

"He never kissed me. I don't know why, but he never did. I've never had an issue kissing someone." She looked hopeful.

"Are you saying that you want to? Kiss, I mean?" She nodded. His hand went up to her neck, his fingers tangled in her hair, his thumb tracing her lower jaw. He pulled her just a little closer. "I want to hear you say it."

"Kiss me," she murmured as they closed the gap.

"Let me see you," he whispered as their noses touched. He pulled back just a fraction of an inch to watch her open her eyes. He saw nervousness and anticipation, but no fear. He smiled, slipping his own eyes closed as their lips brushed together for the first time.

Henry attempted to back off, but Elizabeth moved her hand to the back of his head, holding him in place. "No, stay," she murmured against him. Taking his bottom lip between hers, she sucked before touching it with the tip of her tongue. He mirrored the action and their mouths parted allowing the other in. They cautiously explored the other before pulling back to look at one another.

Henry grinned, "You are a very good kisser."

Elizabeth blushed, "I was about to say the same thing about you." They sat looking at each other for a moment before she said, "Let's make dinner." Rising, he took her hand and pulled her behind him to the kitchen.

They sat on opposite sides of the kitchen table, an empty platter between them. "Those were the best pancakes I've ever eaten." Elizabeth said, leaning back in the chair, patting her stomach. "You are a really good cook."

"I learned pretty young. My mom's a nurse and on the days she worked, she didn't get home until 8 or so. Being the oldest, it sort of fell to me to make dinner. I don't make anything too fancy, but I can cook the basics." Henry said, standing to pick up their plates.

"Let me help." Elizabeth stood and picked up the platter and glasses. They stood side by side at the sink with her washing and him drying and putting away. "This was nice. Thank you."

"Do you need to leave? If not, I was thinking maybe we could take a walk and then eat the ice cream you brought."

"I don't want to overstay my welcome."

"I promise. That won't ever happen. So, a walk then ice cream?"He smiled encouragingly.

She smiled back and giggled, "Sure. Where are we walking?"

"We can walk downtown and look in store windows or through the park. Which sounds better?"

"Mmm, downtown."

Passing by the quaint shops and small eateries, Henry and Elizabeth talked about all sorts of things. They discussed everything from the need, or lack thereof, for the Protestant Reformation to the current state of political affairs in the Middle East to Henry's involvement with ROTC and what that might mean for him once he graduated. Somewhere along the way, they loosely intertwined their fingers as they walked and talked.

They fell into their own world, so Elizabeth was shocked to be pulled from it by someone shouting her name from up the street. "Lizzie! Lizzie Adams!" She immediately slipped her hand fully into Henry's and squeezed it, her breath catching in her throat. The older man charged forward and stopped just a few feet in front of Elizabeth. "Hey Lizzie! I thought that was you. How are you doing? I haven't seen you in quite a while." He reached in and hugged her.

"I'm fine. Thanks for asking Mr. Webb." She plastered on a smile. "How's your wife getting along?"

"Oh, she's doing as well as can be expected, given her condition." There was an awkward silence.

"Well, please let her know that I'm thinking about her. It was nice to see you Mr. Webb."

"Good to see you too Lizzie. Take care." The man stepped back a few paces and ducked into a restaurant.

Elizabeth looked around wildly., then took a shuddering breath "I need out of here. Right now."

Henry turned to find a horse and carriage coming down the street, which he felt was divinely placed in the right spot at the right time. He flagged the driver down and paid him to take them out of downtown and back to the park near his apartment.

He climbed in after her and she sat completely still until they were out of the downtown district and then she fell apart, burying her head between her knees sobbing. Henry put his hand on her back and she pulled away violently.. Struggling for what to do,he opted for sitting on the carriage floor and holding her hand and softly talking to her. "I've got you. You're safe. I'm not going to let anything bad happen."

When the driver arrived at the park, Elizabeth was still in no way ready to move, so Henry slipped a $20 from his pocket and handed it up to the driver and made a circling motion with his finger. The driver nodded and proceeded to circle the park. It took quite a while for her to calm down to the point that she could speak. "I never thought that I'd run into someone I know. That was so dumb. We're only a few hours away. Why did I think that I could just leave it all behind?"

"Hey, it will be okay. We can talk about it, and make a plan. I won't let anything happen. Shh." Elizabeth shifted a bit and Henry scooted up so she could put her head on his shoulder, one hand running his fingers through her hair, the other still holding her hand. When she finally calmed, he asked, "Who was that guy?"

"It was my Uncle's business partner. I'm sorry. I just never thought about the possibility of running into people down here. I didn't have a plan. I didn't know what to say."

"I'm sure running into him was just a coincidence. You were great, and he had no idea how caught off guard you were, I'm positive."

"You think? I'm afraid he'll tell my Uncle that he saw me with you and now I've dragged you into it."

"Shh, stop. I'm not worried about it and you shouldn't be either. I really don't think anything will come of it, but if it does, we'll deal with it then, alright?" Elizabeth nodded, her head still on Henry's shoulder. "Are you ready to go back to the apartment? There's ice cream."

She pulled back and smiled through watery eyes, "Yeah. Ice cream is always good."

Henry sat down next to her and waited until the driver circled to the side of the park that was closest to his apartment and then let the driver know. "Thanks," he said to the man as he helped Elizabeth down, and he led her back to his place.

Spring break passed as did the next two weeks. Nothing more ever came of the incident with Mr. Webb and Henry settled into a new normal. Study, Elizabeth, class, work, study, Elizabeth, sleep. Not a day went by that they didn't spend several hours together, mostly just studying in the same space in the library, or Henry cooking Elizabeth dinner at his apartment. He had never been so happy, which was what prompted the question on his mind.

"Thank you for dinner. I had no idea meatloaf was so good. I only vaguely remember it from my childhood and I don't remember linking it. You are fabulous," she patted his chest before she went to the couch and flopped down. "What do you have to do tonight?" she asked.

"I have some reading, but I wanted to ask you something first."

"Sure. Fire away," she said.

"Have you decided what you are going to do this summer? Specifically where you are going to live?"

She sighed. "No. That's been on my to do list for a while now and I've been avoiding it," she said. "It's going to take money beyond what I normally get and in order to do that, I have to call the lawyer, who's a friend of my Uncle's and I'm afraid there will be questions. So, I've put it off."

"So, how does the money thing work? I'm guessing it's from your parents?" he questioned.

"Yes. It's in a trust. I get a monthly allowance, but with my therapy bills and such, I haven't saved up enough. Plus there is the whole lease thing. I only need it for 3 months and most leases are for a year. Anyway, I'm going to have to contact the lawyer and request that extra money be pulled out. That shouldn't be a problem, but it's the questions that will arise with why I'm not just staying with my Uncle over the summer, like I have in the past."

"I see." Henry looked at her. "I'm going to throw something out and I don't want you to answer right now. I want you to think about it for a few days and get back with me." Seeing that he had Elizabeth's attention, he continued, "I want you to think about us moving in together. Not as a couple, but as roommates. This place isn't big enough for two, but we could get a two bedroom, two bath and each have our own space. With the deposit I get back on this, it would most likely pay for most of the deposit on a new place. Then if you wanted to go back to the dorm in August, you could, and if not, you'd have a place already."

"Are you sure you want to do that Henry? Me for a roommate? You might want to talk to Becky first." She half smiled and Henry had a feeling she was more serious than her voice let on.

"Becky isn't going to tell me much that you haven't already told me. You would have your own room, plus extra space, but if it wouldn't be comfortable for you, then just tell me. I won't be offended by it. It was just an idea."

"I'll think about it. It's a very kind offer. I appreciate it." Elizabeth leaned back into the couch while Henry opened his backpack and pulled out a book he was reading. After a few minutes, she pulled out some work she needed to do and started in on it. A few more minutes passed. "Henry? Do you think we could look at places together, so I could see what it might be like?"

"Sure. If that's what you want. I can call the guy that I rent this apartment from and see if he has any others that might work. I think he would just transfer the deposit, so no money has to change hands at all. If he doesn't have anything, we can branch out from there."

"I haven't decided yet. I think I would just like to see," she said.

"Of course." He leaned over and pecked her on the cheek before settling into his reading.


	8. Chapter 8

AN: Ideas seem to be flowing for this story a little faster than the others, so It's getting updated quicker. I suppose that's good news for those that like this story and not so great news for those reading Evolution and He's Mine. Hope you like this addition. As always, I appreciate all of the positive reviews, but I don't mind constructive criticism, so feel free to leave either. Yours in filling the loss we are experiencing during hiatus, K

Chapter 8

On Friday morning, Henry sat in the driver's seat and did his best to keep his eyes on the road as Elizabeth sat and fidgeted in the seat next to him. "Do you want to talk through it?" he asked.

"Not really." Elizabeth turned and looked out the window, but reached out for Henry to take her trembling hand. He saw progress in that. She was leaning on him in her own way.

There had been so many changes recently, that Henry himself was on edge. He could only imagine how Elizabeth felt. Of course, she was pretty tight lipped. The big things usually came pouring out in a flurry over something small, but she rarely spoke of the little things that he was sure caused her anguish.

She finished finals on Wednesday, he on Thursday. They had packed up her room over those two days and everything but the essentials were packed in her car, which was parked in front of Henry's apartment. They had a few weeks before the new apartment would be ready to move into. Elizabeth's plan was to camp out on his couch, but of course Henry hoped to get her to take the bed. But, where she was going to sleep seemed trivial in the face of today's tasks. Elizabeth had said she would go by herself when she told Henry of her plan, but he insisted that he take her. It would be mentally exhausting at the very least and he didn't want her driving. She didn't argue at all, which Henry took to mean that she wasn't really opposed to him going to start with, but didn't want to ask. Today, she was visiting the lawyer about her trust and talking to her brother, Will, to explain why she placed the restraining order on her Uncle.

Henry turned his thoughts to Will. He had never met Will, but already felt bad for the young man who was going to hear things about his sister that no one should ever have to hear. Elizabeth was anxious about talking to Will because he had been very vocal in his support of their Uncle and had for the most part disowned Elizabeth. Both Henry and the therapist had made the argument that Will was only acting under the information he had. If he knew the whole story, he would likely react differently. Elizabeth spent several months mulling that over before she was comfortable enough with the idea to give Will a call. Now, Henry prayed that he was right in his assumption about Will.

"Is this the right place?" Henry asked gesturing up ahead on the road. The question seemed to snap Elizabeth from her thoughts.

"Yes. Turn in there by the white sign." She immediately took Henry's hand back that he had used to point out the landmark. "I think I may be sick."

Henry parked the car. "I'll be right there with you. You don't have to answer anything you don't want to answer. I'll run interference for you if the guy wants more information than he needs."

"I'm not sure what the hell I was thinking when I turned down the anti-anxiety meds. Those would be handy right about now." She laughed and glanced over at Henry, who chuckled on cue, even though he didn't find it nearly as humorous as she did.

"Are you ready?" he asked. She sat silently for a few minutes. It was long enough that he half expected her to tell him to take her back home.

Just when he was about to offer that, she turned to look at him, her usual crystal blue eyes now a steely gray. "Let's go," She got out of the car on her own and was waiting for him. Henry looked her over. She wore a peach sleeveless knit shirt with a white linen long sleeved shirt over it, tied at the waist, khaki cropped pants that hit a couple inches above the ankle and white sandals. Her hair was down, large waves perfectly framing her face, make up done and she stood with her back straight and shoulders square. Henry had no idea where she drew her strength from, but he occasionally wished he could channel some of it. She looked good, She looked determined and she came with a purpose.

Henry offered her his hand and she took it as they crossed the parking lot and entered the building. She pushed the elevator button and did not take his hand again. He understood that she didn't want to be seen as being weak, and that was perfectly fine with him, especially in this context.

The elevator door opened and Elizabeth led them down a hallway before stopping at an unassuming oak door. She took in a deep breath, turned the doorknob and walked in. Stepping up to the receptionist's desk, she started to sign the clipboard, but looked up and actually recognized the person sitting there. "Hi Jenni! I didn't know you worked here. How have you been?" The two chatted amiably while Elizabeth finished signing in and she proceeded to take a seat.

Henry who had immediately taken a seat, was pretending to read a magazine. When she sat down, he murmured, "Is it good or bad that you know someone here?"

"I'm not sure yet. I have mixed feelings about it," she whispered back. They heard a small beep at the desk and then Jenni said, "Lizzie, you can go on back. Frank is ready to see you. Do you know which door is his?" Elizabeth nooded and rose. Henry followed.

She knocked gently before walking in and Frank stood and came around his desk. "Lizze. It's so good to see you. I was honestly surprised to get your call. I figured we had a few months before you would need to be back here." Elizabeth deftly avoided his embrace by extending her hand before he could get close enough to make contact.

"That is actually what I wanted to see you about. I just wanted to make sure I understand the terms of the trust and what exactly needs to happen when I turn 21. I'm coming now because I'll turn 21 in September and it will be difficult for me to make the trip here while I'm at school and now there's work and all of my other activities to work around. It would just be easier if I could take care of my end now and then when I turn 21, my Aunt and Uncle can come in whenever they like and do whatever it is that they need to do." She was using a somewhat sing songy voice and laughed light heartedly. Henry listened and started out a little annoyed that Elizabeth was seeming to be a little ditzy. He had seen her research this. He knew that she knew exactly what needed to be done and that there was no reason that she and her Uncle needed to be present at the same time. Then, he realized that this was an act to potentially ward off any unwanted, or invasive, questions. He sat back and watched in awe. She was brilliant when it came to reading a situation and proceeding in a way that served her purposes. He smirked to himself thinking that it was lucky for him that she used her powers for good instead of evil.

By the end of the meeting, she had signed everything she needed for the trust turnover in September, got an advance, and learned everything about Frank's family that there possibly was to know and she had shared hardly anything about herself. As they walked out, Elizabeth bid goodbye to Jenni and then made her way silently to the car. Henry opened the door for her and she got in. By the time he made it around the car, she was sobbing uncontrollably with her head between her knees.

"Babe," he said, reaching for her hand. "It's okay. You did great and it's over. You don't have to go back. You did it. Deep breaths and blow it out slow. You've got this. Just breathe." It took a few minutes, but she was able to calm herself down. She sat back and rested her head against the headrest.

She took several slow deep breaths before she turned to Henry. "Thank you for coming with me. Having you there helped a lot."

"I am happy to help, in whatever way I can," he said.

"Soooo," she grinned at him with still watery eyes. "What's with the babe thing?"

Henry gave her a confused look, "What are you talking about?"

"A few minutes ago. You called me babe, when you were talking to me." Her smile grew wider.

"I did? I didn't even realize." Henry looked flustered and she found that to be endearing.

"Keep it. I like it," she leaned in caught the loose fabric of his t-shirt in her fist and tugged him closer. "Thanks again." She kissed him, softly. "How much time do we have until we meet Will.

"About 45 minutes?" Henry glanced at his watch. "How long does it take to drive to the park?" he asked.

"Mmm, maybe 10 minutes. So we have roughly 30 minutes to kill. Think we can just drive around for a bit?" she asked.

Henry drove where she directed and they drove by her old elementary and middle schools, and her favorite ice cream shoppe. Henry could tell the nostalgia was getting to her. "Do you want to go to the park and wait for Will?" he asked.

"Yeah, I think so." When they pulled up 10 minutes early, she saw Will already sitting there waiting.

"Where would you like me to be?" Henry asked her, unsure of his place in all of this.

"Is it too much to ask you to sit with me? I'm very afraid of how this is going to go." He leaned in a kissed her cheek before getting out of the car. He walked around and opened the door for her.

He reached out and squeezed her hand. "I'll be right by you if you need anything."

She smiled at him and started walking across the grass to the picnic table where Will sat.

"Hey stranger," she said as she approached the picnic table.

Will looked up. "I could say the same about you." He stood and awkwardly draped an arm around Elizabeth. Henry could see her tense, but she covered it well and sat down opposite Will.

"Will, this is Henry. He's my best friend, my boyfriend."

Will extended his hand. "Nice to meet you Henry." They exchanged a few pleasantries and then Elizabeth spoke.

"I know you were confused and possibly upset by my actions regarding our Uncle. At the time, I wasn't able to share what was going on or why I needed to do what I did." Time has passed and I am stronger now. I'm ready to tell you what happened if you are interested in hearing it."

"Lizzie, I just don't understand how you could-"

"Will. You either want to hear or you don't," Henry said, adamantly.

Will looked a little shocked at Henry's outburst, but shrugged. "Fine. Talk," he said.

Elizabeth took a deep breath, reached for Henry's hand under the table, and started at the beginning.

More than half an hour later, Will was pacing along the edge of the concrete pad where

the picnic table was perched. "So it started, when?" Will asked.

"He started grooming me immediately, but didn't rape me until I was 16."

"And it was still going on last summer?" Elizabeth nodded her head.

"What the hell Lizzie? Why didn't you tell me? Or someone? Or leave?"

Henry started to stand, ready to tear Will apart, but Elizabeth grabbed his sleeve and pulled him back down. "It's alright. I'll answer that."

"Will, think about that. You weren't around much and I had nowhere to go. Until I turned 20, I had to have his permission to get any of the money. Do you think that if I up and left, he would have been just fine letting me have what I needed to make it on my own? Out from under his thumb? That doesn't even begin to cover how embarrassing it was to face that or tell anyone. The one outside person I told dumped me and sent me back. Tell me how I wasn't supposed to think I somehow deserved the situation I was in."

"God Lizzie. I'm not even sure what to do with all of this." Will sat back down. "How come if you went back to school in August, you waited to file a restraining order until January? I mean why didn't you go ahead and do it as soon as you went back to school?"

"I didn't file a restraining order because of what he had been doing. I filed it because of what he did in October."

"You were in school. What did he do?" Will had taken a belligerent tone that Henry was about done with. He tensed, but Elizabeth just shook her head at him.

"It's okay. Really. I expected this." She took a deep breath. "Will, I had just met Henry and I really liked him. I saw what my situation had done with my previous relationship and I refused to do that again. So I called and talked to him and told him that I was done and it wasn't ever happening again. He hung up on me. I didn't hear anything for a few days and then he showed up on campus on Friday afternoon." She stopped and by her look, Henry thought she was trying to decide how much to tell him. "He took me to a motel where he tied me up, raped and tortured me for three days."

Will's face was pale. He looked like he might be sick. Henry felt the same way. He actually had the idea that he would fare better than the first time, but now he wasn't holding out hope. "And you waited until January because?" Will asked, his tone much softer this time.

"Originally I hadn't planned on living long enough for it to matter, but then I ended up getting some serious therapy during my in patient stay over Thanksgiving and Christmas break and the psychiatrist convinced me to do it, so I did it in January when I got out."

"In patient?" Will was confused.

"Suicide watch. I was fine around people but I was scared of what it would be like when I was all alone with only my thoughts. I still don't sleep well. The nightmares are still there, but more manageable. I typically don't wake everyone with my screaming."

She laughed, but only got a slight smile from Henry who remembered the description of her from some girls long ago when he went to her dorm to try and find her to make sure she was okay. Will didn't laugh.

"He tortured you? This whole thing is beyond comprehension. Like how much more could he do than he was already doing?" That elicited an actual laugh.

"At one point, I actually thought the same thing, but the answer was a lot more." She stood and for the first time since the day they went hiking seven months ago, Henry saw her arm as she slipped off one sleeve of her long sleeved shirt. He wanted to get up and take a lap, but he forced himself to stay rooted to his seat. Will audibly gasped. "So uh, cigarettes burn like a son of a bitch." She pointed to 3 circular burns on the inside of her arm. "And, in case you ever need to know, they easily get infected if you don't take care of them right away." "These are cuts he made with a razor, but the good news is that they won't likely leave a scar since they are single straight lines." She rubbed a finger over several faint white lines on the inside of her upper arm. "Of course he felt the need to brand me so I have a few of these." She turned so Will could see her shoulder.

"The sadistic SOB bit you. Fuck!" Will buried his head in his hands. Elizabeth had turned in a manner that Henry hadn't been able to see the bite mark and for that, he was thankful. He would see if someday, but he was perfectly fine with today not being the day.

"Ya know what really pisses me off?" Elizabeth asked as she slid her arm back into the sleeve of her shirt. Will looked up. "He has that one funky tooth that sticks out and looks ridiculous, and now I've got imprints of haggle tooth all over me. Jesus. There has to be some sort of deep meaning there!"

Will left the table, Henry watched him walk away. He turned and looked at Elizabeth. "Is it alright if I go talk to him? Will you be okay for a few minutes?"

"Yeah. I'm fine. Go ahead."

Henry squeezed her hand and left the table. As he got closer, Henry saw Will leaning against the backside of the tree. He was looking up through the lush late spring foliage, although Henry knew from experience that he wasn't really seeing anything but his mind's representation of what Elizabeth had just recounted.

"Will? I know. It's a lot to take in. How are you doing?"

Will shifted to face Henry. "How did she do it? I don't even understand how she lived through it. To be honest, I've always seen her as the know-it-all, overprotective, overdramatic big sister, especially since mom and dad died. Now I think back and I can see it so clearly. Those first two or three years, she used to ask me if I would stay with her, and I always found an excuse to go with friends because she was always so down and depressed. Then she just stopped asking and I never thought twice about it. God! She was asking me to protect her in the only way she knew how, and I didn't see it. I didn't want to see it."

Henry placed his hand on Will's shoulder. "You need to stop doing that. It's not productive. I've already walked this road and can tell you that it won't help you to take on guilt over what he was going to do regardless. What's done is done and now all you can control is your actions from here on out. That's where you can make the difference."

"That's easier said than done," Will lamented.

"I know. But my other piece of advice is don't try to escape it. Avoiding it won't help. I finally just had to sit with it and be pissed and sad and sick and feel it all before I could come back and be what Elizabeth needed me to be. I went through this period of time where I felt sorry for her, but have come to realize that's the last thing she deserves. She is beyond strong and capable and has taken a situation that would break most people and is walking through it with more grace and dignity than I can even piece together. She doesn't need your pity, she needs you to meet her where she's at and walk beside her."

"Thanks Henry. You're a good man. She's lucky to have you in her life."

"I'm glad you think so. I hope to be around for a long time."

"I think I'm ready to go back. Would you do me a favor?"

"Sure," Henry replied.

"There are a couple of boxes of things that I brought for Lizzie thinking that this may be the last time I ever see her. Would you get them and put them in your car," Will handed Henry his car keys. "It's over there," he said, pointing to a car three spots down from where Henry had parked.

Henry took the keys. "I hope that you're not still planning on never seeing her again."

"No. I just wasn't sure what I would be walking into today. She could've said that. I didn't know what to expect. Her behavior had seemed so irrational from the outside. I understand now. I still think she's like to have the stuff in the boxes."

Henry walked the spanse to Will's car. He watched the two as he unlocked the car. Will was sitting next to Elizabeth. His breath caught in his throat when Will reached out and tried to rub Elizabeth's back. Hands on her back was the one thing that was absolutely could not tolerate. She reflexively squirmed away and took his hand instead. Henry hoped that she explained why. When he glanced back a moment later, their heads were together. He took that as a good sign.

After putting the boxes in his trunk, Henry sat on the grass at the edge of the parking lot and waited. It seemed like they were having a good discussion and Henry was glad. He was most concerned that Will would side with his Uncle and he didn't know how Elizabeth would react to that. He was glad that he wouldn't have to find out. While Will had questioned her reactions to some things, he always seemed to believe her. Henry took a moment to thank God for all the blessings today had brought. It could've ended much differently and Henry was very thankful that for once Elizabeth seemed to have things going her way.

Will and Elizabeth talked for another hour or so before they came walking up the slight incline to the parking lot where Henry sat on the grass reading a book. "Sorry for making you hang out and wait on us," Will said as Henry stood. He reached out to shake Henry's hand.

"That's no trouble. I didn't mind at all. It was good to meet you Will. I hope we get to see each other soon."

"I think we can make that happen." Will said. Turning to Elizabeth, he said, "I'm glad you called me. I love you sis." Leaning in, he kissed her forehead.

"Love you too, Will," she said.

They watched Will get in his car and leave. Henry tossed his book in the back seat, turned and gestured toward the lake, "Want to take a walk before we go home?" She smiled and took his hand and they started off walking.

It was a long while before she spoke. "Today was a good day. In some ways, I can't believe I waited this long, but then I think that it wouldn't have been the same if I wasn't where I am now."

"I agree, I think you did the right thing by waiting." Henry stopped them on the path. "I just want you to know that I'm so proud of you. I've never met anyone who is stronger than you are or willing to work so hard to overcome adversity. You are an incredible person and I'm happy to be here to see if happen."

Elizabeth blushed and shook her head, "But I'm not," and Henry cut her off.

"This is not the point where you try to argue me out of my position. You say thank you and we move on." He smiled. "Try and accept the compliment."

She let out a little breath, "Thank you. And thank you for coming with me today. I would never have expected you to, but I'm glad that you offered. It made today so much easier."

"Are you and Will going to be okay?"

"Yeah, His biggest problem is that he agreed to stay for most of the summer and do an internship with a close friend of my Uncle who is a doctor. Will could definitely use this opportunity, but he doesn't want to live at my Uncle's house and being 19, my Uncle has to sign off on any extra money he gets, so he can just up and move out. He said he would try and make a plan and let me know what he decided. I just encouraged him to look at the big picture. I don't want him doing something that could screw up his future because he pisses my Uncle off in the name of my honor. I don't need to add that to the list of things I've screwed up."

"You haven't screwed anything up. You rationally know that right? I understand how it may feel, but nothing that has happened or will happen is your fault. Your Uncle is the center of it. If anything gets screwed up, it's on him. Only him."

"Your support means so much to me. I honestly don't know where I'd be if you had walked away and I never saw you again." Tears sprang to her eyes.

"If I had been that stupid, you would still be doing the same things you are doing. You don't need me to get past this. You are doing it on your own. I'm just a silent observer. Now, let's get some lunch. It's late and I'm starving." She grinned at that and pecked him on the lips before they walked back to the car.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Henry was doing his morning workout routine in his room. He was mid sit-up when he heard the knock on the door. "Hey Henry. I'm doing a load of laundry. Do you need anything washed?" Elizabeth called through the door.

"Nah, I'm good. Thanks." Henry went back to his sit-ups. He heard the washing machine start its cycle on the other side of his bedroom wall. When the cycle finished, he jumped in the shower and emerged from his room about 30 minutes later.

Looking around the apartment, he didn't see Elizabeth. "Hey babe?" Her bedroom door was standing open, so he stuck his head inside. He didn't see her. He was just about to step away when he heard the sniffle coming from her bathroom. "Elizabeth?" he called, sticking his head through the open door. She was facing the washing machine. She turned to look at him, tears streaming down her face. "What's going on?" he asked, pulling her head to rest on his shoulder. "Talk to me."

"I was just doing laundry and I started thinking about how much I like living here. My room is big and the laundry is right here with my own bathroom and I can actually buy real food that I like and, and, and-" As she spoke, Elizabeth talked faster and her breath became shallower. She became more upset. The rest came out in a jumbled rush. "And you. I love you and I can't imagine being all the way across campus by myself and having to make arrangements to see you instead of seeing you all of the time." She sobbed into his shoulder.

Henry continued to hold her, but he was now smiling broadly. "Then stay." She pulled back away from him.

"What?" she asked, taking a ragged breath.

"Don't go. Just because that was the plan in May, doesn't mean it has to be the plan in August. Go call the student affairs office and see if you can get the money back on your room." She wiped her eyes on her sleeve and sniffed.

Pulling away from Henry, she said, "You're sure you want me to stay?"

"More than anything. And I have since the first week we moved in together. I've had the best summer with you here."

She grinned, "I'm going to go call."

"Not yet you aren't." He pulled her back to him. "You don't get to say 'I love you' and then just walk away."

She blushed. "I said that?" He nodded. "Well, it's not like I don't, because I do, but I certainly didn't mean to say it." Elizabeth was uncharacteristically flustered and Henry was enjoying it.

He pulled her back by her hips so she was flush to his body, "And why exactly would you not want to say it?" His voice was teasing but his body language was saying something entirely different.

"I just. I just wasn't sure. Well that you," she stopped.

"Let me help clear it up for you Miss Adams." He snaked his fingers up her neck and into her hair pulling her ear to his mouth. "I've loved you since the day you brought me coffee and I asked you out on a date. There was a period of time when I tried to ignore it, but I would have never been successful. I will always love you." He pressed a row of kisses along her jaw and chin before capturing her lips in his. When he left her breathless, he released her saying, "Now you can make that call."

She grinned at him and disappeared out of the bathroom. Henry leaned against the washing machine and thought about their summer. He could definitely say that moving in together had been much more difficult than they had naively thought it would be. There were all of the normal things like who would clean and when that would happen and what is an acceptable level of clutter to leave around, but then there were also trickier situations like Henry's early morning workouts, which woke up Elizabeth when she finally got to sleep and Elizabeth's nightmares which sometimes woke Henry and left him wondering what to do or if he should do anything.

It had taken most of the two months of summer to get to a point where both felt really comfortable and were happy. Until her proclamation, Henry wasn't sure if Elizabeth was happy or not, but the fact that she was visibly upset at the thought of moving honestly thrilled him. He had been hoping all along that they she would want to stay with him, but he didn't want to bring it up.

October rolled around and as Henry sat at the bar in the kitchen watching Elizabeth make him scrambled eggs, he reflected on the past year. They had been through quite a lot. He was trying to keep an eye on Elizabeth since it would be coming up on a year since the attack. She didn't seem outwardly phased, but he knew her well enough to know that it was on her mind.

They sat together eating their breakfast. Elizabeth was not much of a morning person, but she was unusually quiet. "What are you thinking about?" he asked.

"I have a therapy appointment this afternoon. I'm just thinking about what we're going to talk about."

"Are you worried about it?" he inquired. Elizabeth very seldom mentioned therapy at all. He only knew that she went because she usually let him know when she'd be home later from work.

"Not worried, but maybe a little nervous." Henry was satisfied with that answer and was going to let it go when she suddenly continued. "I want to talk about taking the next step. With you. Physically." She lowered her head slightly, but he could still see that she was watching his reaction as the blush crept up her face.

"Are you sure?" He looked at her carefully. "That's a big step."

Her face fell. "You don't want to. At least, not with me."

"No, that's not true." He stood and pulled her up from her seat at the table. "It's just not true," he said, pulling her into an embrace. For a split second he congratulated himself that he was able to perform that act without thinking now. Holding Elizabeth in a way that made her comfortable and felt like an actual embrace to Henry had been a long and arduous process filled with trial and error and excessive negotiation. They had worked through it and now, finally after a month of practice, it was second nature. His mind went to why that was, and why now she was nervous about talking to her therapist and hashing out a plan to be intimate with him. Fury coursed through his veins. He tried to tamp it down, stuff it back in its corner of his brain, but it would not go. Then he was even more pissed because he knew she sensed it, and that was the last thing she needed to deal with. He let her go and kissed her chastely. "I'm sure it will be fine. I've got to go." He headed out the door, checking her over his shoulder and her look of confusion and hurt was almost too much for him to bear.

Henry ended up sitting on a bench in front of the lake at the park. He stared out over the water for a long time, trying to clear his mind. When he was calm enough that he thought he could make some sort of sense, he bowed his head and prayed. He started out praying that he would never actually see her Uncle in person because he was sure that if he did, he would kill him. He second guessed himself on that and decided it would better to pray for his own peace and that he could let go of his anger. Then he prayed for Elizabeth, that she was able to find whatever it was that she was seeking. He was concerned that she was pushing herself too fast, but that wasn't for him to decide and even if she were, she would deny it if he brought it up. He resigned himself to trusting that what was supposed to happen would happen in the right time frame.

He was surprised to find that her car was still in the parking lot when he returned. He unlocked the apartment door and stepped inside. Her backpack and purse still sat on the chair, so he knew she hadn't left. "Elizabeth," he called out. There was no answer. He checked her room and she wasn't there. Henry was thinking about her possible whereabouts when he walked into his room and straight to the bathroom. Coming out, he saw what he missed the first time and his heart ached with the love he held for the woman who lay asleep on his bed, hugging his pillow.

Her face was tear streaked and he felt remorse because he knew he was the cause. Because of his own anger, he left her alone with her doubt and insecurities. He brushed against her cheek with his fingertips. She stirred, coming slowly out of her sleep. He held her hand and rubbed her knuckles with his thumb until he knew she was awake. When their eyes met, he said, "I'm sorry. That whole thing earlier wasn't about you. It was about emotions that I struggle to deal with. I shouldn't have walked out. Forgive me."

"Of course," she said and he lowered his head to hers, kissing her passionately.

He pulled back and looked at Elizabeth, her lips red and swollen from kissing him, the shallow breaths she was taking because he had left her breathless and the want in her eyes. Of course, he also saw the doubt. He didn't put it there, but he knew that he hadn't done enough to alleviate it.

"I want to apologize for something else." He kissed her again before he continued. "In an effort not to make you feel pressured to do things physically, I haven't said much about it and that was wrong. You need to know how much I want you. How sometimes I look you and imagine how your skin will feel under my touch, Or how much I want your body to tremble as you hit your peak and you call my name because you want me to do it again and again." Henry couldn't help but kiss her again. "Or how I want to learn what you like so I can pleasure you." He grinned at Elizabeth, whose eyes had taken on a much darker hue. He leaned in a whispered against her ear. "Sometimes I look at your hands and imagine what it will feel like when you touch me." She giggled and suddenly gasped.

"What time is it?" she asked.

Henry was now sitting back, shocked at the sudden change in tone. "10:45. Why?"

She scrambled to her feet and raced out to the living room. Henry followed. "Have you seen my shoes?" She looked up at a befuddled Henry, while fishing her tennis shoes out from under the couch. "Oh, I originally canceled my 11 o'clock therapy appointment because I didn't feel up to it, but I need it back because my mind and heart are all in, but my body needs to get the fuck on board." She kissed him quickly. "Thanks. Love you," she said as she disappeared out the door as Henry stood in the middle of the living room laughing to himself.

Henry walked in from class to find Elizabeth scurrying around the apartment picking up odds and ends. "Hey babe. What are you doing?" He kissed her cheek and took a couple books from her hands that belonged to him.

"I'm just trying to make sure everything is nice for when Will arrives," she said, straightening the lamp shade.

"You know he's a 19 year old guy, right? He will likely only notice if you run out of beer or pizza."

She laughed, "You're probably right. Just for some reason I want it to be just so. We haven't spent a holiday together for a long time."

"When's he coming again?" Henry asked.

"He'll be here tomorrow afternoon."

"That's good. We can all hang out tomorrow night and maybe have lunch before I leave for Pittsburgh on Wednesday. That is, unless you have other plans."

Elizabeth answered, "No, I figured that's what we would do." She turned and caught Henry by the arm. "I'll miss you while you're gone."

"Yeah, I may not make it until Saturday. I might have to come back before then." He smiled at her

"Don't do that. Stay and visit your family. You haven't been home since those few days at Spring Break. I know your mom misses you."

"I'll try but I won't promise anything. Christmas will be different because I'm making you come with me. You'll see how nuts they are and you'll want to come home early too." She laughed and stepped into Henry, laying her head against him, her hand resting on his heart. He caught his fingers in his hair and cupped her head. When she tipped back to look at him, he kissed her. "I love you," he said.

Henry was excited for Elizabeth, who was beyond ecstatic that Will was coming to stay for a few days. Will arrived Tuesday afternoon while Henry was at class, and by the time Henry made his way back to the apartment, Will and Elizabeth were in a heated game of Scrabble. "Hi Henry," Will greeted him. Henry said hi and kissed Elizabeth on the head before heading to his room to change.

They spent the evening together, eating out and playing board games when they returned to the apartment. Henry enjoyed watching Will and Elizabeth interact. They were very much the same. They were both very smart, inquisitive and ridiculously funny. Watching the two banter back and forth was entertaining.

Henry was in the kitchen scooping ice cream for everyone when Elizabeth came in and hugged him from behind. "I was wondering if you would mind if Will goes ahead and sleeps in your bed tonight since tonight is the only night you'll both be here."

"Oh, sure. I had planned on doing that anyway. I'll just take the couch tonight. My bag is already packed, so I can just move it out and he can move his stuff in."

"Alright, but I was sort of hoping you would stay with me tonight," she murmured in his ear.

"Oh really?" Henry looked over shoulder at her. "You have plans? With your brother here?"

She smiled softly. "Not those plans, but I just want to be close to you before you are gone for four days."

"I will happily do that." He handed her two bowls. "Can you take these?"he asked as he started to clean up his ice cream mess.

Late that evening, Henry lay in Elizabeth's bed, clad in only his boxers with Elizabeth, in PJ pants and a tee, curled up at his side."I'm glad that Will was able to figure out his living arrangements last summer without causing a big headache for himself," Henry said.

"Yeah, the whole fixing up the storage space over the detached garage was a pretty brilliant idea. Did you hear him say that he didn't even see our Uncle except twice all summer? Hopefully next summer will be easier. Maybe I can help him get his own place." Elizabeth spoke softly, her breath fanning across his chest She was drawing nonsensical patterns on his chest.

He looked down at her. Her blond curls splayed across his shoulder and arm, he took in her pointed nose, her full lips, and the shape of her lean body pressed against was a heady sight and Henry felt the all too familiar warmth spread throughout his body.

Since Elizabeth's epiphany a month ago, they had been slowing working through what was and wasn't comfortable for her. As excited as Henry was about this new level of growing intimacy, he sometimes found it very frustrating as well. Then he felt like a big jerk for feeling frustrated.

Henry placed his hand on Elizabeth's, stopping her movement. She looked up at him. "God. You're beautiful." Bright crimson flooded her face and she looked away. "I have no intentions of doing anything tonight, but I just wanted you to know that." He brushed her hair back off her forehead and struggled to sit up enough to kiss her .

Elizabeth giggled. "I love you."

Henry repeated, "I love you."

The drive home Saturday was excruciating. Nervous energy was coursing through his veins and he couldn't wait to get home. While Henry knew he loved Elizabeth, he had no idea how much he would miss her. Even though he called her every evening while he was at his parents' house, it didn't help. It was as though he left part of his heart somewhere else and every thought or move revolved around what was missing.

Henry's Mom sensed it right away. He had been very closed mouthed about all that had gone on in his life in recent months. When he had been home over Spring Break, he told his mom that he had met someone, but that he didn't know if it would lead to anything. Through the summer, he conveniently skipped the detail about them moving in together because he knew that his Mom, being the devout Catholic that she was, would disapprove, and he just didn't want to hear it, especially since it was a chaste relationship. She wasn't going to know any of why that was though, because he wasn't telling any of his family anything.

But, this time had been different, his Mom saw immediately and questioned him. He ended up telling her that he was involved with someone and that it was serious and that he would bring her back with him at Christmas. That seemed to satisfy most of her questions. The living together, well that would have to be dealt with soon, but not today. Today, he just needed to get back home to Elizabeth.

After five long hours in the car, he pulled into the parking lot in front of their apartment building. Taking the steps two at a time, he dashed up to their door. He slipped the key in the lock and heard the familiar click. Opening the door, he saw her sitting on the couch and tears sprung to his eyes. He was embarrassed at his outrageous overreaction to the situation and Elizabeth was confused.

"Henry, are you okay?" She was already off the couch and closing the distance. "Baby, what's wrong?"

"Nothing. Nothing at all." he smiled. "I just missed you so much. It kind of hit me all at once." He pulled her to him. "I'm going to kiss you now." She barely had a chance to react to that before his lips were on hers,his tongue demanding access. He sensed her surprise, but was on board in no time, giving as good as she got.

Pulling away finally, she wore a coy smile. "I'd say you did miss me a lot." She glanced over his shoulder. "I think we should move this exercise elsewhere, but why don't you go ahead and close the door first, so the neighbors don't get the wrong impression of us." Henry grinned and stepped back, kicking the door shut.

"Guess what?" Elizabeth hummed into his ear. "I missed you a lot too. Come on." Elizabeth started pulling him toward her bedroom.

"Babe it's 4 in the afternoon. Don't you want to have dinner? Watch a movie? Play some Scrabble?"

"No." She looked at him shyly. " I want to make love."

Henry's eyes grew wide. "You're sure?" he asked.

"It's a leap of faith, but yes, I think I'm ready. Are you?"

"Yeah. I am." Henry tugged her back to him. "You can always tell me to stop if you need to. I don't need a reason and I would never be upset, okay?"

She pressed her body to him and tipped her head back to get a good look at him. "I know." She swallowed the lump in her throat. "I love you.' Then she stepped back and took his hand and led him to her bed.


	10. Chapter 10

AN: So this chapter is just a lot of sex coulda been, sex shoulda been and maybe at some point actual sex. If this isn't your thing, the general idea is that they are trying to do it. Now pause for Chapter 11. . If you don't mind reading about sex, feel free to proceed.

I love reviews.

Chapter 10

Henry lay on the bed, staring at the ceiling, while Elizabeth, sat curled on the living room couch sobbing. He tried to figure out exactly where it all went wrong. She had asked to be left alone to calm down, so his thoughts shifted to his throbbing erection that was more than a little uncomfortable. He felt a real need to just take care of it, but there was certainly no tactful way to step away and jerk off. He chastised himself for even thinking it. He knew he would never do that, but still Henry found himself fighting these thoughts.

He stepped to the door and checked her again. Confirming that she still wasn't ready for comfort, he went back to the beginning. She undressed him and then she let him undress her. It surprised him, since she had been so careful about letting anyone see her scars. He glossed right over those though and only saw her, and that was more than enough to excite him. Her defined collar bones, round breasts, slim hips, and legs that went for miles made for quite the arousing scene and she had giggled as his penis seemed to take notice.

They climbed onto the bed and lay next to each other kissing. As one of their prenegotiated rules, she moved his hand where she wanted to be touched. She originally placed his hand on her hip, but once their kisses became heated, Elizabeth caught his wrist and slid his hand to her breast. She instinctively moaned as he massaged her breast and when he caught her nipple between his fingers, she ground her hips into him. Immediately she stopped, her face flushed red and she stammered, "I-I'm sorry."

"For what?" he asked. It took him a second to figure out what she was talking about. "That's not bad." He kissed her. "I like it. It's a good thing. Don't ever be ashamed about how your body reacts to my touch. I want to learn to read you, so I can give you exactly what you want. I want you to enjoy it." He kissed her harder this time. When she was back with him in the moment, he returned to her breast. Moments later, he whispered, "Can I put my mouth on you?" Her eyes shot open and she just looked at him. "Has that ever happened to you before?" Henry was suddenly kicking himself for not thinking to ask that long before now. She shook her head. "If you don't like it, you can just tell me to stop," he offered. "I just want to make you feel good. " He scooted up a bit so he could look into her eyes. "Let me make you feel good." He tried to gauge what he saw reflected back at him, but he couldn't read her. "What are you thinking?"

"It's never felt anything but awful, painful. and shameful. My goal was for it just to not be those things."

"Even if I am absolutely terrible, it should not be any of that. At the risk of sounding prideful, I think I'm a little better than that, so I'm shooting for good and hoping for more." She smiled at him. "Do you trust me enough to let me go down on you? You know that all you have to do is tell me to stop and I will ."

"Okay," she whispered. Henry kissed her and met her gaze. "Thank you." They started all over and when he got Elizabeth worked back up, he started kissing his way down her body. She shrieked when he swirled his tongue around her nipple. He stopped and looked up. "That was a good sound, wasn't it?"

"Mmm hmm," she hummed before letting out a gasp as he switched to the other side. Henry smiled against the darkened skin of her areola. Methodically, he worked his way down her body, rewarded with sensual moans and the surprising giggle when he stuck his tongue in her belly button.

When he reached the junction of her hip and thigh, he stopped and glanced up at her. "How are you doing?" he asked.

"Mmm, I'm good," she murmured

"So, you are up for the next part?" She opened her eyes to look at him and nodded.

"Yeah, I think so."

"Just let me know if that changes," he said as he pressed a kiss to Elizabeth's inner thigh and heard her draw a ragged breath. He continued getting her used to the sensation. Henry felt the heat radiating off her center and it was making him harder than he thought possible. He ground himself into the mattress seeking some sort of friction. He quickly shifted his focus back to Elizabeth. "I'm going to lightly touch the inside of your leg before I spread your lips apart. Just like this. Relax babe. I got you." She was panting and pushed her hips up in anticipation. Using his thumbs, he parted her folds and sucked a deep breath in. Elizabeth tensed immediately at his reaction. He kissed her mound and breathed out, "That is the hottest thing I've ever seen. I love that you are so wet for me."

He dragged his tongue from her opening to her clit and she cried out. He lapped at her juices with her moaning and trembling beneath him. It was he focused all of his attention on her clit that she lost it. He had just pushed his tongue against it and she screamed "No" and scrambled away from him and off the bed, apologizing and saying she needed time to calm down. She left the room. He had followed her to the couch where she asked him to leave her alone until she was ready..

So now; staring at the ceiling in the dimly lit room, and thinking about all of the events leading up to her decisive withdrawal from him, he still couldn't figure out what had happened. He rolled to his side and listened. It sounded like she had calmed a bit, and although she said she wasn't ready for his comfort, he thought he would try He stood and walked to the couch, saying a small prayer of thanks that his erection problem had subsided and was no longer painful.

Henry put his hand on Elizabeth's knee. "Want to talk about it?" he asked.

"I'm sorry." she got out before taking a deep shuddering breath, her body trying to replace the oxygen that she had been lacking.

"There's nothing to be sorry for. I'm just not sure what happened. I would like to know, so I don't make the same mistake again. Come on. Let's lie down and talk this out." He stood and offered Elizabeth his hand. Helping her up, he took her back to bed, flipping back the sheets so she could get in. Henry slid in next to her, took her hand and kissed it. How are you?" he asked.

"Are you kidding? I'm embarrassed, and sad, scared, frustrated and so God damned pissed off about this entire thing." She covered her face with her hands. "He still has power over me and I hate it." She sat up and spun around to face Henry. "I can rationally say that I'm not letting him control me and that I will do whatever I want to do, but then in the heat of the moment, my mind is filled with all of these doubts and I feel like I have to keep control of the situation. It makes me sad that I let you down and I'm embarrassed because I wanted it so much that I set myself up to fail."

"Stop right there. Please. Don't discount your feelings. You feel how you feel. Don't ignore it. You didn't let me down. I'm still here. I'm fine. You're here. We're both going to get through it. So, tell me what happened, so next time we can avoid it."

"Everything was fine. Good really." She paused and looked at him bashfully. "Amazing actually. I was absolutely in the moment and enjoying it, when all of a sudden I couldn't think straight and I felt like I couldn't hear and I had no control over my body, or anything really. All I could feel was you on me and it was super intense, overtaking everything else."

"But if felt good right?" Henry asked.

"Oh, yeah. Really good. Right up until I freaked out because I wasn't in control." Elizabeth sighed, "I am tired of being so messed up. I just want to be a regular person going through a regular life."

"Well, I don't think there is such a thing as a regular life. Everyone has their own trials and deals with them in their own way. Now, as for the other thing, I'm not a girl, so my experience with this is a little limited, but I'm pretty sure you just denied yourself an orgasm. I think losing control is part of it. Next time, as long as it feels good, try to hang on through it." Henry sat up and kissed her. "Are you alright now?"

She grinned. "Well if we don't take into account the fact that I flipped out and screwed it all up, then I'm fine. Better than fine actually. That was the best sexual experience I've ever had even if it was a train wreck."

Henry chuckled. "I don't think it was that bad. We could get something to eat and try again later."

"That sounds great. I am hungry."

Sandwiches were consumed, Scrabble was played, dishes were done and once again Henry and Elizabeth were left standing in front of each other awkwardly. "I think we're trying too hard," Henry said.

"So how do you try without trying?" Elizabeth asked.

Henry shrugged, "I didn't say I had a solution, only what the problem was. I love you and we'll figure it out."

"Come here." Elizabeth pulled Henry over to the couch. "Sit please."

"Alright, what's the plan?" Henry asked.

"This," she said climbing on Henry and straddled his lap. She grasped his head in her hands and kissed him lightly before going back a second time, deepening the kiss. He moaned as her tongue ran along the roof of his mouth and his hands instinctively snaked up her shirt to her breasts.

"Is this okay?" he mumbled running the pads of his thumbs over her nipples, which hardened under his touch.

"Mmm." her hips rocked into him. "Shirt off." She tugged at his shirt until he was freed from it. Then pulled her own over her head and let it fall next to them. He kissed her shoulders and pulled her closer to him. His large hands encircled her hips and he felt her rock against him.

"Are you sure?" he whispered, his words coming out in breathy pants. Her forehead was pressed to his and she nodded before pulling away to stand and push her pajama pants down, letting them pool on the floor.

He took in the sight of her naked form. "You are gorgeous." She blushed and held out her hand to him. He took it and allowed her to help pull him up. Standing so close made him dizzy with desire. He grabbed her hips and pulled her into him and kissed her. Elizabeth caught her fingers in the waistband of Henry's sweats and pushed them down, exposing his erect penis.

"Should we take this into the bedroom?" he asked.

She shook her head. "No. Don't try too hard, remember?" He looked into her eyes. They were dark with lust for him. He swallowed thickly. He sat back down and offered her his hand. She sat on his lap, his hardness pushing against her stomach. He could feel her dampness on his thigh.

She kissed him and Henry reached up and cupped her face. "Are you sure?"

She didn't answer him. She leaned in and captured his lips. She sat back a bit and wrapped her hand around his erection. Henry gasped at her touch and bucked into her. "Sorry," he panted. That feels so good." Pumping him a few times, she ran her thumb over the slit and watched the precum ooze out and on to her fingers.

She lifted herself up and slid him through her folds coating him with her arousal. When his penis brushed against her clit, she jumped. Henry grinned and pressed an open mouthed kiss to her chest, just above a circular scar between her breasts.

"You are entirely in control babe." She nodded as she lined him up to her opening and slid his tip in. She inhaled sharply and stopped. "Babe. Open your eyes." Elizabeth opened her eyes, and slid the rest of his length inside her "See me. Only me," he mumbled as he pulled her mouth to his.

Elizabeth moaned softly as she started to move against him, letting her eyes slip back shut. Henry let his head fall back against the couch. "Babe, I need it faster."

She pressed her hands to his chest. "Oh God!" she moaned. Her body tensed, but Henry could tell she wasn't there yet.

He pulled her head to his shoulder. "Relax. Give into it." Henry grabbed her hips and increased her rhythm. When he felt her legs start to tremble, he reached between them and rubbed tight circles on her clit.

She arched her back and called out his name, her muscles clenching around him. He pushed into her a few more times before he came.

Elizabeth slumped over against Henry and caught her breath. She looked up at him grinning and laughed the most joyous laugh he had ever heard come from her. Pressing a kiss to his cheek, she whispered, "We did it." Kiss. "I love you."

"Yeah babe, you did."


	11. Chapter 11

AN: For the first time ever, you get a short chapter! And when you get to the end, you probably won't care for me very much. Sorry about that.

Chapter 11

Henry lay in bed listening to Elizabeth cry on the other side of the wall. He was frustrated with himself yet again for his simplistic view of how things worked with Elizabeth. He'd thought that once they made love, it would make things better, or easier, or something different than what was happening.

It was the fifth night of nightmares. He squeezed his eyes shut, pulling the pillow around his head trying to drown out the noise. He fought the urge to go to her. He didn't want to scare her when she was at her most vulnerable, but the thought of her dealing with it by herself was torture for him.

Henry was just about to go to her when there was a knock at his door. He leapt up and opened the door to find Elizabeth standing there in her t-shirt and underwear, sobbing and shivering. "Babe." He reached out his hand. "What can I do?"

She took his hand. "Make him go away, I just need him out of my brain." She looked so desperate, and Henry was at a loss.

"I'm so sorry. I don't know how. What would help?"

Elizabeth fell against Henry's shoulder. "I wish I knew."

He kissed the top of her head. "Come on. Let's start with this." Grabbing a pair of his sweats off the back of a chair, he held them out to her. Bending down, he said, "Step into these." She gave him a confused look, but put her hand on his shoulder to steady herself while she lifted each leg. He slid them up and pulled the drawstring as tight as it would go. They still hung low on her hips, which was super hot, but Henry pushed that thought out as quickly as it came in. He picked up his t-shirt from the same chair, tugged it on, and ushered her into the kitchen.

He put his hands on her waist and lifted her to sit in the counter. Reaching in the freezer, he removed the carton of ice cream and fished a spoon from the drawer. "Here," he said, holding it up to her mouth. She took the bite and another and a few more after that. "Better?" he asked and she nodded. He put the ice cream back in the freezer and lifted her from the counter. "Let's sit down."

He unfolded the big quilt on the back of the couch before settling in the recliner. "Come and sit with me," he encouraged. Elizabeth awkwardly settled herself in his lap. He reclined back. "Are you okay?" She shifted a bit. Henry pulled the quilt over them both and said," Tell me everything you can remember about elementary school."

Elizabeth giggled at the somewhat odd request, but laid her head against Henry's chest and started in with everything she could remember about preschool and worked her way up through the grades.

Pale morning light shone in through the sliding glass door of the apartment. Slowly Henry woke. Before he even opened his eyes, he felt Elizabeth on top of him and he smiled. He shifted his arm away from her back and brushed her hair off his face. Studying the somewhat blurry clock across the room, he made out the time, 8 o'clock. Thinking back, he remembered the clock striking one, but he didn't remember two, so he hoped they got closer to 7 hours of sleep.

She shifted and mumbled, "Henry," He grinned. She was dreaming about him. He really wanted to kiss her. He had never done that before. He had wanted to a few times, but was worried about how she would react. She squirmed around again and ended up with her head tipped toward Henry's. He looked at her face, calm and relaxed, her eyelashes gently brushing against her cheeks, her lips parted slightly, pink and full. Henry couldn't help himself. He brushed his lips against hers before taking her top lip between his. She closed her lips around his causing him to smile.

Her eyes fluttered open and she pulled back. Their eyes met and she looked surprised, "Good morning," she said as she blushed.

"Hey babe," Henry pressed a kiss to her forehead. "How do you feel?"

She thought about that for a moment. "I feel really good. Well rested, even." She leaned back in and kissed Henry softly. "You're amazing, you know that?"

"I didn't do anything special. Just taking care of my girl," he grinned and kissed the tip of her nose.

"Are you hungry?" she asked, shifting her weight off of him as she stood.

"Mmm hmm, but I don't want breakfast." His eyes fell to her hips where his sweats hung low exposing her flat stomach and belly button. He innstinctively icked his lips. She tugged her shirt down covering her skin.

"Don't look at me like that," she said, backing away.

Henry blinked, and looked up at Elizabeth, "How was I looking at you?"

"Like, like you wanted to devour me." She crossed her arms across her middle.

"Um, I wasn't thinking about devouring you, but I find you extremely sexy."

"Well, don't do that. I don't like it."

Henry fell back against the chair and sighed, "I'm sorry." He rubbed his hands over his face. Then he sat back up. "I'm finding it very difficult to say or do the right things here."

I'm finding it difficult to put up with you ogling me."

"Whoa! That's not fair. Wait. Where is this coming from?" Henry was shocked that she would say that and frankly it was hurtful."

"Oh, let's make this about you," she shot back.

"That would be a first, because we know that everything is always about you." Henry's temper was getting the better of him. He recognized that it was happening but he couldn't get it dialed back. He was being attacked. He had no idea why and she wouldn't tell him. "I think I need to go." He retreated to his room, changed clothes, and a few minutes later had his backpack in hand walking out the door. As the door closed, he saw Elizabeth on the couch, her face buried in her hands.

Henry's four hour stent at the library was less than productive. He spent most of his time thinking about Elizabeth and how he could make it right. There was a part though that realized how often he pushed his feelings to the side to accommodate Elizabeth and that wasn't going to work long term. They needed to talk about that.

On his way home, he stopped and picked up their favorite Chinese. He opened their apartment door and found Elizabeth at the kitchen table scribbling on a piece of paper. Two suitcases sat by the end of the couch.

"Elizabeth?" Henry said from the doorway. "What are you doing?"

"I thought it would be best if I go."

"Why? And where are you going?"

"Because, I'm too much trouble. I come with too many strings and I have too many rules and those rules change all of the time." She couldn't hold back her tears any longer. "And that's not fair to you. You should get to be with someone who's easy to love and not call you out for doing something that most women would be thrilled with. And you should be with someone you can just be with and not have to tiptoe around all of my emotions. I'm not good for you Henry and-and," She took a deep breath. "And I love you enough to let you go."

"Please don't." Henry stood rooted to his spot while Elizabeth picked up her purse and suitcases. "We can sit down and talk about this. You don't need to leave."

Tears streamed down her face as she looked at him one last time and gave him a sad, teary smile before she walked out the door.

With the closing of the door, Henry collapsed on the chair and sobbed.


	12. Chapter 12

A/N: As so often happens with my writing, this story is going in an unexpected direction. I hope you enjoy it. Reviews are great and much appreciated.

Chapter 12

Henry sulked around their apartment the rest of the weekend. He hoped, and prayed, that Elizabeth would call or come back, but there was nothing.

He went to a study group on Monday. He had finals to prepare for and her knew Elizabeth did too. He hadn't checked, but he didn't think Elizabeth had everything she needed. He thought for sure she would be back to get her things.

After the study session was over , he returned home to get lunch. The second he entered, he knew she had been there. He smelled her perfume in the air. He stuck his head in her room and hit the doorframe. All of her school books were gone. "Dammit," he yelled.

He caught a glimpse of her on Wednesday as he walked into one of his finals. She was too far away to chase down. He was heartbroken about her and hated to think how he'd done on his tests. He feared his grades would suffer in a couple of classes but, beyond the general acknowledgment. he just couldn't bring himself to really care about that.

By Friday, the campus had pretty much cleared out for Christmas break and Henry made a plan. He figured Elizabeth had to be staying with someone or at a motel, and given her experience there, that was probably a last resort. He planned to drive around campus and look for her car. He'd start with Johnson House. She knew several of those girls, and might stay with a few of them. He wished he knew Becky's number. He thought she might be the best candidate.

He started at Johnson House and worked his way through all of the dorm parking lots, but was unsuccessful. He hit all of the motels in town and even stopped by and gave Phyllis his number if she happened to see Elizabeth at the diner.

Henry was just walking into his apartment when the phone rang. He rushed to pick it up. "Hello?" he said, a questioning tone in his voice.

"Henry. It's Becky. I'm not supposed to be telling you this, but Elizabeth is staying with me. She was going to stay in my room over break and then get her own room next semester, but I just ran into a guy here that's looking for her. She went to the store to pick up groceries, but he's hanging around the lobby and I have to leave. My parents are here to pick me up and they don't know she staying in my room." She took a breath and Henry was going to ask about the guy, but Becky continued on, not letting him have a word. "Listen Henry. I don't know what went down between you two, but this guy, he's old. And there's something off about him. He gives me the creeps. I don't want Elizabeth here with him. Hardly anyone is left in the building. Henry? Henry?" Henry missed Becky's last few words because as soon as she said that he was older and she felt uncomfortable, Henry was out the door and the phone was left dangling off the edge of the table.

Five minutes later, he was pulling into the parking lot at Johnson House. He saw Elizabeth's car parked in one of the closest spots and a newer Lincoln parked along the back row. It was a car that he was sure wasn't there the hour before went he made his first drive through. Henry didn't bother parking in a spot. He parked in the fire lane and went flying up to the front door. He had no idea what the code for the door lock was so he pounded on the door hoping that someone would answer. When no one did after a few seconds, Henry kicked it in, splintering the wooden door frame to pieces.

Flying up the stairs, he realized that he didn't know for sure where Becky lived but he thought he'd start on the same floor that they had lived before. Randomly knocking on doors, he finally found someone who thought Becky lived on the fourth floor. He hit that floor calling out Elizabeth's name. Henry heard some noise from the middle of the hall and started knocking on doors. In his haste, he missed it the first time, but when he took a breath and stopped, he heard the muffled cry he had listened to so many times from the wall opposite his bedroom. He found the door and pounded on it. When she didn't open it, he kicked it in. What he found broke his heart and enraged him beyond belief.

"Get out," the man growled only half turning toward Henry from his position sitting on the edge of the lower bunk. Elizabeth was huddled on the bunk pressed into the corner her eyes glazed over.

"Elizabeth, are you okay?" Henry's voice was tight. When she didn't answer, he grabbed the man by his shoulders and threw him to the floor and put his knee in the man's back, pinning him there.

"Elizabeth, call the police." She didn't move. "Elizabeth!" Henry yelled at her and she seemed to all of a sudden snap back into reality. Tears suddenly streamed down her face. "Babe," he said more calmly, "You need to call the police."

Before she could move from her spot, the man shifted his weight and knocked Henry off balance. Trying to gain the upper hand, he was able to throw an elbow into Henry's side knocking the wind out of him. But, as the man tried to stand, Henry swept the man's feet out from under him and he hit is head on the desk. That was just enough time for Henry to scramble around and grab the man by the throat pinning him to the floor.

Now, sitting straddled across his chest, with his hand around the man's throat, he pressed in. The look of terror in the man's eyes was evident. They shifted wildly around. Henry looked at the man beneath him and squeezed a little harder. The struggle for oxygen caused the man to writhe under him.

Henry's mind went back to the day he and Elizabeth sat on the Hill and she told him of the atrocities she endured because of this man. He remembered how hard it had been for her to tell Will what happened and the battle she fought every day to be present with him and not the monster that was trapped beneath him now. Henry squeezed harder and stared into his eyes. He wanted this man dead.

"Henry." He felt someone touch his shoulder, and he suddenly shifted his eyes up coming out of his thoughts. Elizabeth stared at him. "Let him go. He's not worth the trouble it will cause you if you kill him." Henry just stared up at her, but he released his grip on the man's neck. He didn't completely let go. "I called the police," she said. "They're on their way."

They just looked at each other not speaking. Only a few minutes past before they heard the sirens out front. Shortly, it was the steady footfalls of men coming down the hall. As they hit the door, Henry stood and released the man, who immediately tried to speak. His voice was hoarse and scratchy from being choked. "Arrest this man. He tried to kill me."

"He violated a restraining order. I was protecting Elizabeth."

The man started to object loudly, but the officer silenced him. "I'm not standing in the middle of a dorm hallway discussing this. I think we're all going to the station to sort this out," the officer said.

Elizabeth's uncle walked out in a huff, pushing past the officer. A second police officer escorted him and Henry saw a couple more officers still waiting in the hallway. Elizabeth moved to put on her shoes. Standing, she walked past Henry and started to leave the room. Looking at the officer, Elizabeth said, "You may want to get the knife off my bed, the one he was going to use to kill me." Henry closed his eyes to fight off the nausea. It had been close. Too close.

They rode in separate cars and remained separated at the police station. Henry resisted leaving Elizabeth to go by herself for the interview, but she told him it was fine and went with a female officer.

Henry told his story of the incident and the officer took notes. Henry figured it was surely being recorded too, but there were no obvious recording devices in the room. He answered the questions carefully, not wanting to give too much information. He wasn't willing to out Elizabeth if he didn't have to. He had no idea how much she was going to tell. If she chose to keep it limited to today's incident, then he wasn't going to mess that up. They left and he sat alone for quite a while.

Henry had no idea how hard it would be to be left alone with his thoughts. She said he had a knife and he was going to kill her. Had she just inferred that, or had he said it? Did it really matter, if he had a knife then he had a knife. What if he'd missed Becky's phone call? Having not seen her car there, he'd had no intentions of returning. It had been so close. He should've been there sooner. If she'd been with him, he could've protected her. He stood and started pacing the room.

Now, even if Elizabeth would consider getting back together, they would have to start all over again. He swallowed the lump in his throat. If they didn't, she would have to go through it alone. Again. She never talked about what exactly went on at her therapy sessions, but over the last several months he saw her do different things, that he was sure were a result of therapy. He hoped he was supportive as she worked on whatever it was that she was supposed to be working on.

She would have to start over. She had been violated all over again, afraid for her life. "Dammit!" He slammed his hand on the table. He should've been there. He told her that he would protect her. Tears came to his eyes, as crumpled to the chair, laying his head down on his folded arms across the table, he whispered, "and I didn't."

Henry was unaware of how much time had passed, when the door opened and an officer came in. "How's Elizabeth?" Henry asked.

"She's fine," the man said. "I just have a couple more questions." Henry leaned forward in the chair. "When you knocked on the door and there was no answer, what did you think was happening?"

His stomach clenched and bile rose in the back of his throat. He didn't know if he could vocalize it. He'd thought it, but never said the words aloud. He swallowed and took in a deep breath and let it out slowly. "I thought he was raping her."

"Why did you think that?" the officer questioned.

"Because he'd done it so many times before."

"How do you know that?"the officer pressed.

Well that was one hell of a loaded question wasn't it? So many ways to go with that one. Henry shut those thoughts down realizing that this was not he time for sarcasm. "She told me about eight months ago, and I see the effects of it every day, he replied evenly.

"How so?"

Henry opened his mouth to answer the question, then thought better if it. "What exactly does this have to do with the events of today?"

"It goes to your state of mind during the attack," the officer said.

" _My_ state of mind? Are you kidding me? He violated the restraining order, he had a knife, she said he was going to kill her and I stopped him and held him until you showed up and somehow this has become I attacked him? You are fucking nuts!" Henry stood from the table.

"Whoa now. No reason to get all riled up. It's just a question." The officer backpedaled.

"Am I being charged with a crime?" Henry asked.

"Not at this time."

"So then I'll be leaving." Henry started toward the door, but it opened in front of him. A man in a suit stood in the doorway

"There's something you need to know first." he said. He motioned for Henry to sit back down. "I'm Detective Roth. The DA's office in Arlington is on their way here. They want Elizabeth to press charges."

Henry was confused. "She is. He violated the restraining order."

The man shook his head. "They want him for rape. The DA's office up there have been building a case for the last few years. They think if she comes forward, they can finally have enough evidence to convict him."

Henry leaned on the table and buried his face in his hands. "She knows this?" The detective nodded. "And?"

"She won't say anything," Henry sense that the man felt a bit guilty about that.

"And you want me to convince her that this is a good idea?"

"That's what the team from Arlington is hoping for," the man rubbed his chin and looked thoughtfully at Henry. "Look. He'll get a high dollar lawyer, work the charge down to some minor trespassing violation and pay his $1000 and be off to do as he pleases, which includes coming back after her again."

"I won't make her relive it." Henry said with finality.

"She relives it everyday anyway." The man leaned back in his chair.

Henry thought about that. She did and he knew it, even if she never said anything. He could see why he wouldn't want to bring it out iin public. The stares, the judgement, the pity. That was the one that she would hate the most. "Can I see her?"

A few minutes later, Henry cracked the door of a room down the hall. Elizabeth sat stoically in the chair in front of the table with her head down. She flinched as the door shut, but she didn't look up. He stopped at the end of the table and crouched down. "Babe?"

She looked up and her eyes met his. "I'm so sorry," she said in a choked whisper. He took her hand and kissed it.

"You have nothing to be sorry for."

"I was scared and I ran away and I hurt you again." Tears slipped from her eyes and she leaned toward him almost imperceptibly. Henry quickly moved around the end of the table and knelt next to her where she let her head fall on his shoulder, and she cried.

"I forgive you, always," he whispered. When she finally pulled her head away, he asked, "May I?" She put her hand around the back of his neck and pulled him to her as she leaned in. They kissed slowly and softly, much like their first kisses. His cheek was wet with her tears when they parted.

He studied her as he did so often when he had something to say, but wasn't sure how she would react. This was not the time for mincing words, however, and he needed to get it out there. "You know what they want you to do? She turned her head away. "And you know why?" She nodded, her eyes still facing the other way. "You know you have a choice. You don't have to do it."

"I don't want to do it."

"Then let's go home." He took her hand and led her from the room.


	13. Chapter 13

Henry and Elizabeth sat on the couch, a bowl of popcorn between them. The TV was on but neither were watching. Both were in their own world of thoughts.

Henry turned to Elizabeth. "Are you back for real or just until this blows over?" Elizabeth looked stricken and Henry regretted the way in which he asked the question. "That didn't come out right. I'm sorry."

"It was a fair question. I just wasn't expecting it." She turned and looked at him. "What I said hasn't changed. You deserve better than what I can give you." Henry's heart sank. He wasn't sure what he could say to make her understand.

Henry sat quietly for quite a while, then he looked at Elizabeth. "It's not true." He took her hand. "I love you today in this moment. I'm not in love with the person that you think you should be now or the person you hope to become. I fell in love with the woman in front of me, right where we are in the middle of the shitstorm we find ourselves in. Are there things that we need to work on? Yeah, but we can work on them. Some together, some apart, whatever it takes. We don't have to abandon what is good because of the things that are hard. If you don't want any romantic involvement now, I'm okay with that. But, you are my best friend. I just can't lose you altogether. Please."

When Henry met her gaze, she held it for a long time. He hoped the love he had for her could be seen. Without blinking, he watched the tears form once again and she swallowed hard. He geared himself up for the heartbreak of watching her walk away. He wasn't sure what he would do when that happened, besides crumple into a ball on the couch and sob. He felt certain he would do that.

She stood, setting the bowl of popcorn on the table and Henry dropped his eyes. It was getting harder to breathe normally and he didn't want to break down in front of her. He didn't want to add to the guilt he was sure she carried around. He was in his own world when he felt her touch, her hand against his cheek. "Come. Show me how much you love me."

"I don't know if that's a good idea. You know, with all that's happened today." He looked at her. Her eyes were dark. She wanted him. He knew he was giving her the same look in return.

"I'm tired of working around him. Around fear. I love you and trust you completely. Henry, I want you to make love to me the way you want to. I want to know what that feels like."

M RATED

"You're sure," he said, confirming what she wanted. Elizabeth just held her hand out to him. Henry took it and let her pull him to his feet. He stepped closer to her and she pulled his shirt from his jeans and began unbuttoning it. Finishing her task, she pushed it over his shoulders and let it fall at his feet. She pressed kisses to his chest while she unbuttoned his jeans and pushed them down with his boxers, over his hips exposing his manhood. She pressed her body into him. He groaned and unintentionally pushed into her stomach. "You feel so good," he mumbled.

She took his hands, which sat squarely on her waist and dislodged them. "Hold me," she commanded. Henry looked alarmed, his arms now dangling limp by his side.

"But," he started, and she pressed a finger to his lips.

"No. I know that it's you who is touching me and I want it. I won't let him control me. I won't be afraid of him any longer."

Henry kissed her for the first time since they sat in the police station. That kiss had been timid and unsure. This kiss was everything the other was not. He demanded entrance to her mouth, running his tongue along her upper lip before slipping in to tangle with hers. She tried to catch her breath. Henry provided her with the oxygen she needed. His arms wrapped around her back and with open hands ran his palms over her supple skin She tensed under his touch and he cupped her head, shifting her eyes to meet his. "Look at me Elizabeth. I love you." She opened her eyes and they shared a moment,

"I know, and I love you. So much. "

Henry walked her backwards through her bedroom and into the bathroom. He grabbed blindly at the faucet in the shower and turned it on. He tugged her shirt over her head and tossed it to the side. Then he unfastened her pants and took both pants and panties down to the floor in one gliding motion. Squatting crouched at her feet, he looked up at her in admiration. "You are the most beautiful woman in the world." she blushed under his intense stare.

He backed her up against the bathroom door and kissed her inner thigh. She gasped out of surprise and then moaned at his touch. He lifted her leg and placed it over his shoulder giving him better access. His tongue lapped up her juices and his nose pressed against her clit as he pushed his tongue inside her. Then he focused on her clit, alternating between pressing his tongue against it, licking and sucking it. He could feel her resolve slipping, legs trembling, back arching off the door, moaning her approval. He inserted two fingers and curled them against her spot.

She grabbed his head and fisted what hair she could get hold of as she reached her peak. Henry firmly held her hips to the door keeping her upright as she rode the waves of pleasure. Dropping her leg back to the floor, he kissed his way up her quivering body. Still pressing her to the door, he kissed her and she ran her hands anywhere she could touch. "Oh God Henry," she gasped between kisses.

He grinned, "That was just the warm up round." Henry pulled Elizabeth off the door and she stutter stepped into his arms. Opening the shower door, he stepped inside taking her with him.

The hot water stung their bodies, but it was cleansing. He kissed her hungrily like he could never get enough of her and she offered all that she had. He pulled back and he caught her gaze, "I love you Elizabeth Adams. Always."

"And I love you." She pulled him close as they stood under the spray and she whispered her affirmations in his ear, stroking his erect penis. He knew he wouldn't last long given his current state.

Taking control of the situation, he pushed her hands away and he turned his attention to her breasts. She moaned as his tongue swirled around her nipple his teeth grazing it. She tensed and Henry immediately realized what he'd done. He stood straight, pressing her to him and whispered, "I would never hurt you like that." He ran his tongue along the shell of her ear and sucked her earlobe before nibbling it. He repeated this action on the other ear while massaging her breast. She moaned as he steadily built her back up. Suddenly he hauled her up the shower wall by the back of her thighs and pinned her to the wall, penetrating her swiftly. She gasped in surprise, her head falling on his shoulder. "Are you okay?" Henry asked, not being able to see her face.

"Mmm hmm, now move," she answered breathlessly. She wrapped her legs around his waist drawing him closer and he pulled out and pushed back in hard. Repeating the same action over and over, she called out his name as she tumbled over the edge.

Henry hummed, "Not quite there," and he continued to push inside her as her walls pulsed around him. Elizabeth released the hold of her leg and slipped her hand between them and massaged his balls. He came instantly, his body stiff against hers riding his own orgasm out to its fullest.

END OF M RATED

They clung to each other for a few minutes while they calmed and heart rates returned to normal. They showered, washing each other. The task of drying each other was silent and intimate. Small, light kisses and gentle caresses punctuated the action. Moments later they lay together, limbs intertwined, quietly thinking. "Are you okay?" Henry whispered into the darkness.

With her head nestled against his chest, she murmured, "Better than I've been in a long time."

"So it was alright?" Henry asked, hoping that she'd enjoyed it as much as he did. He needed to make sure. She placed her hand on his face and turned it toward hers.

"It was better than alright. It was fantastic and it was full of love. It was more than I could've ever hoped for." He shifted a bit to kiss her.

"I love you so much and I would never hurt you." He ran his hand down her back and pulled her even closer. "This is the best night of my life." Elizabeth hummed her agreement and kissed him lightly.

Henry was just about asleep when she whispered, "I'm going to do it."

"I know," he said softly.

"You do? Wow! I really didn't." Her fingers danced lightly on his chest. "I think I just needed time to process that."

"Yeah," Henry agreed.

"I won't let him win," she said quietly.

"Babe. He was never going to win. You are too strong. You were always going to come out on top."

"I'm going to call tomorrow to set up the interview."

"Can I come with you? I don't want you to do it alone. Then maybe we can go to Pittsburgh for Christmas?" he offered.

Elizabeth thought about it for a bit. "I'd like that," she finally said.

"Sleep babe. It's been a long day." He tucked her closer to him.

Henry rolled over the next morning to find himself alone. He shot up out of bed, worried about what might have happened during the night that he slept through. Soft light shone from the crack in the almost closed bathroom door. "Elizabeth?" he asked at the door.

"Mmm hmm?" Elizabeth was brushing her teeth. She spit toothpaste into the sink and wiped her mouth on a washcloth. "Sorry. What did you need?"

Henry stuck his head in. "I was just checking on you. You were up pretty early."

"I'm doing alright. Just nervous. I already called. We have a couple hours before I have to go to the station." She paused. "You're sure you're okay to come with me? I'm guessing it will be hard."

"I think you're right, but I've heard it. I want to be there for you." Henry noticed that immediately she averted her eyes. He waited for a second. "How much don't I know?"

"You know the gist of it, but I doubt they will be satisfied with that. There will probably be a lot of details. If you don't want to go, I'm f-"

"No, not going is not an option. And we'll have plenty of decompression time on the way to Pittsburgh. It will be okay." He stepped in the bathroom and pulled her into an embrace. "Is this okay?" he mumbled into her neck as he kissed her.

"I'm good." She tipped her head back to see him better. "But make sure I know you're there. I don't care for surprises like that. At least not yet."

They walked hand in hand into the police station just before 10 AM. They were ushered into a conference room and given glasses of water before being left to wait. Henry reached out and took Elizabeth's hand, squeezing it. " I don't think I could be more proud of you than I am right now." He leaned over and kissed her cheek.

Shortly, a team of three people came in and sat down opposite Elizabeth and Henry. All wearing suits, two women and a man, they introduced themselves and stated they were from the Arlington Crime Task Force, which was a special part of the Arlington Police Department and they would be conducting the interview.

Elizabeth nodded and asked how this would proceed. She was just supposed to tell everything she remembered from her beginning relations with her uncle and they would ask specific questions as they came up.

Elizabeth took a drink of water and then a series of deep breaths and then she began. Henry didn't say a word the entire three hours of the interview, but he never had more respect for Elizabeth than he did when they walked out of that room. She held her head high and walked through the police station as if she were taking a walk in the park. Only when she got to the car, did she crumple in Henry's arms. "That was draining," she said in between sobs. "I mean I thought it would be hard, but that-" her sobs took over again ravaging her body. Henry just held her tight.

"You did good babe. Hopefully they will have enough to bring him up on charges and then once he's convicted, he'll be off the streets forever and he won't be able to hurt anyone again."

"Yeah. That would be the best outcome." She dried her tears. "Let's forget this for a while. Let's celebrate Christmas." Henry hugged her tight, kissed her on the cheek and put the car in reverse.

Six hours later, they sat parked in front of the McCord home. "Just expect that over the next week and a half or so, my dad and I will get into it at least five times over ridiculous stuff and my sister Maureen is just plain hard to get along with. My parents don't know we live together, but they'll probably figure that out before this is all said and done and it will be an issue."

"Why was it that I agreed to come again?" Elizabeth asked.

"Because you're going to have to meet your future in-laws sooner or later. Might as well be now." Henry grinned at her and hopped out of the car.

By the time that Henry opened her door, she had gathered her wits about her again. "I think we need to have a talk about that," she smirked and Henry looped his arm in hers and marched them up the sidewalk and in the front door.

"Hi everyone!" Henry called as he closed the door behind them. Susan McCord exited the kitchen drying her hands on a dish towel.

"Henry! How's my boy? It took you awhile to get here. I had hoped you would come yesterday."

"I know Mom. Something came up and I had to stay in town until a little after noon today, but we're here through Christmas. Mom, I want you to meet Elizabeth Adams. Elizabeth, this is Susan."

Elizabeth extended her hand. "Mrs. McCord, it's so nice to meet you, Thank you for allowing me to come."

"It's a pleasure to have you dear." Henry, why don't you run out and get your bags? Elizabeth and I will be in the kitchen."

Henry raced out to the car and grabbed their luggage and was on the way back up the sidewalk when a car stopped in front of the house and a broad shouldered young man climbed out. "Thanks," he said to the driver. He started to come up the driveway and then saw Henry. "Henry! I didn't know you were coming today." Threw an arm around Henry in a jovial hug. "Let me take one of those," he said taking a suitcase. "Did you bring your girlfriend?"

"Shane, as far as everyone is concerned, she is only a friend. I'm not ready to tackle that beast quite yet." Shane grinned at him. "I'm serious Shane. Mom and Dad are going to flip as it is. I'd like a few days of peace first. I'll tell them, but not just yet."

"Eh, Henry, I'm really just giving you shit. I'm not going to say anything. Let's go meet this dream girl, I mean friend." Henry threw and elbow and they walked into the house.

Before long, Elizabeth had met the entire family and they sat around the dining room table playing cards. It was a fun time. Everyone seemed pleasant and Elizabeth wasn't quite as tense as she had been. Patrick seemed the most aloof, but he wasn't unkind and Elizabeth knew that he and Henry had a hard relationship, so she figured that was part of it. Patrick switched the channel and the voice of a news anchor filled the room. "Virginia real estate mogul, Phillip Adams, was arrested this afternoon. He is charged 12 counts of first degree rape, 8 counts of second degree rape, and 1 count of incest. His lawyer is making no comment at this time. He is being held at the Arlington County Courthouse without bond. Preliminary hearing is set for January 15th. And in local news…". Elizabeth didn't hear the rest. She was having a hard time breathing.

Patrick called over to her. "Elizabeth is that real winner part of your family?"

Elizabeth mumbled, "Something like that."


	14. Chapter 14

A/N: This chapter could've ended up pretty long, so I decided to split it. Here's the first half. I hope to have the second half done by Friday.

Chapter 14

Henry was sitting across the table from Elizabeth when the voice filled the room, "Virginia real estate mogul, Phillip Adams-". He was quick enough to catch the look of terror in her eyes before she dropped them. She answered Patrick's question and then there was silence. Henry struggled to decide how to best handle it. He opened his mouth to change the subject when she spoke. "He's my uncle. I hope the fact that he is deranged and an evil excuse for a man doesn't taint your opinion of me."

"Of course not," Susan scoffed, "We would never do that."

"Well unless you were part of that whole incest thing. That's a fu-messed up deal. Gotta question what's going on there," Henry's sister, Maureen, said.

"Maureen, watch your mouth." Susan chided.

"Yes Mom," she said, turning her head before rolling her eyes.

Conversation returned to normal and Elizabeth calmly excused herself and walked upstairs. Henry played the rest of his hand and then left the table hoping not to make it obvious he was going after Elizabeth. He didn't want there to be more talk about it than there had already been.

Going upstairs, he checked the spare bedroom first. Finding it empty, he knocked softly on the bathroom door. "Babe, let me in."

After a few seconds, the door opened. She looked at him with puffy, red-rimmed eyes, pink nose and flushed cheeks. "I didn't know it would be on the news, and this isn't even regional. It's nationwide news," she whispered. "My life is now nationwide news."

He stepped in and pushed the door shut and folded her into his arms. "They didn't say your name. Maybe you'll escape it."

A sharp, single laugh escaped her throat. "Right. Because the press is going to respect the privacy of the victims. We'll be lucky if they aren't camped outside the apartment. Oh God!" She sat on the edge of the bathtub and hid her face in her hands. "By the end of this, there won't be anyone who doesn't know,"

Henry stood leaning against the sink. "What was the reason you decided to go ahead and do the interview?"

"I was tired of giving him control over my life." He continued to look at her. "And once I knew that I wasn't the only one, I felt the need to stop him from hurting others."

"Will you still be able to accomplish what you set out to do, even if everyone knows?" he asked thoughtfully.

"Yes, but it makes it that much harder, and I'm so tired of things being hard. I need easy, just for a little while."

"I'll do my best to be easy for you." He knelt down in front of her and placed his hands on her knees. He could tell there was more. He waited and when she didn't volunteer he said, "There's more."

She looked up at him, almost taking a defensive stance. "I never considered it incest. It's not like I don't know the definition, but adding that label to it makes it even filthier than it already was. People will think less of me because of it." The hurt in her eyes pained Henry.

"I don't think," he started, but the look on her face made him step back from what he was going to say. He offered a revised version. "I don't think the people that matter in your life will think less of you. The people that care about you will love you no matter what."

"Maybe," was all she said. Then standing up, she looked at herself in the mirror. "I can't stay holed up in here forever. Go on back downstairs and I'll be down in a minute. I need a little makeup touch up." She stepped across the hallway to the spare bedroom.

He followed her and leaned against the doorframe. He asked, "If my family starts asking questions, am I deflecting?"

"For now, please do. I don't know that I'm up to tackling that right now. Maybe in a couple days." He could see the exhaustion etched in the lines on her forehead.

"How about you go ahead and go to bed? You need to sleep. I'll tell them you're just worn out from finals."

She shifted uneasily. "I can't sleep Henry. I'm afraid I'll have a nightmare and wake up the whole house. That isn't the impression I want your family to have, especially if I have to end up telling them the rest."

Henry ran a hand through his hair and blew out a breath. "Okay, well, you have to sleep. You didn't get much sleep last night and we're going to be here for ten days. It's not like you can just not sleep for that long. I will sleep in here with you. I just need to figure out how exactly to get that done."

"Don't mess up things with your family over this. I'll figure it out. I always have." Elizabeth gave him a sad smile. "It will be alright." He stepped closer to her and kissed her on the cheek and then turned to go downstairs. He'd be damned if she "figured it out" by herself.

Everyone had shifted to doing their own thing. Shane and Patrick were watching football commentary. Erin was reading a book and Maureen was at the table cutting out material for whatever her latest project was. Henry passed through, making a mental note to ask about it. He and Maureen had a pretty strained relationship, but that seemed like something non-threatening that they could talk about.

He entered the kitchen to find Susan flipping through the grocery ads and clipping some coupons out of them. "Hey Mom," Susan looked up.

"Henry. Sit. Tell me what's been going on in your life," she said, putting down her things to focus on her son.

"Uh, well, finals were really hard this time. I'm worried that I might end up getting a couple Bs. It will be close, but we'll see here in a week or so when I get my final grade. Otherwise, things are fine."

"And Elizabeth?"

"She's my best friend. We do everything thing together, including studying. She's super smart." Henry get his chest get tighter. He tried to console himself by telling his conscious that he wasn't saying any untruths, but he was fully aware of the lie by omission that this entire conversation was.

"Are you dating her?"

Oh hell, this was getting dicey. Henry answered truthfully, ignoring the omission. "We've been on a few dates, but we enjoy just hanging out together."

Susan furrowed her brow. "You know you're there to get an education, not to be screwing around. If you truly want out of here, then you don't have the luxury of being mediocre. You need to be at the top to get a good job."

"I know Mom," Henry said, a little exasperated. "It's not like I'm unaware of my situation. I know I need good grades and I'm very serious about school, but I need to have friends too. I gets really lonely not having anyone to share the day to day things with. He loved his mom, he really did, but she went to nursing school after she was married and had him. It wasn't remotely close to the same. She was in a much different time in her life than he was, but she didn't see the difference.

"As long as you keep your grades up, I suppose it's fine," she lamented.

Henry worked to keep from rolling his eyes. Thanks for your blessing was his thought. "Mom. I have a request and I know I'm going to be purposely vague, but I can promise you that absolutely nothing will happen. I swear, because I know how you feel-"

"For goodness sakes, Henry, spit it out," Susan said.

"I want to sleep in the same room as Elizabeth. I will sleep on the daybed and she can sleep on the real bed. I just need to be in the same room."

Susan pursed her lips, "May I ask why you _need_ to do this?"

"I would like you to just trust me and know that there is a very good reason for the sake of the entire household."

"She's the one isn't she?" Henry's mother grilled.

Henry's mind raced. How does she know? Play dumb and deflect, he thought. "I asked her to come here right after Thanksgiving. She spent the holiday with her brother, but wasn't going to have anywhere to go for Christmas, so I invited her here."

"And now you need to sleep with her?"

"Not with her. In the same room." This was getting out of hand. Henry was about ready to pack Elizabeth up and find a motel, although that had a definite downside as well.

"Did she have a falling out with her parents?" Susan asked. "Is that why she doesn't go home like normal people."

Henry let the normal people thing slide. But he saw an opening to make a case. "They're dead. It's just her and her younger brother, and he made other plans. She has nightmares and I don't want that to become the topic at breakfast. You know how Dad and Maureen can be. I want to be with her so I can wake her up before she wakes you guys up. That is all. She's embarrassed about it as t is and I don't want to make it worse, but I wasn't about to leave her on campus by herself over the holidays. Okay?"

Susan looked a little embarrassed at her presumptions, which was obviously wrong. "Both of her parents are dead?" Henry smiled inwardly. He had her.

"Car wreck. When she was in high school. A freshman I think. Her brother is a grade below her."

"Poor child. That's tough. You may. I want her to have a nice time here. She may not have had many nice family Christmases."

"Thanks mom. I'm sure she appreciates it. I do," Henry gave her a beaming smile. He hoped that Elizabeth didn't care about him telling his mom that her parents were deceased. It seemed like the easiest thing to share that wouldn't give away anything else. "I'm going to go on upstairs to bed. I haven't had a lot of sleep with studying for finals. Love you."

"Love you too son." She gave him a hug and a kiss and let him go.

Henry hurried up the steps and pulled his duffle bag from Shane's room and knocked on the spare door. Elizabeth answered it, looking better than when he'd left her. "Hi roomie," he said, stepping into the room.

She knitted her eyebrows, pushing the door closed behind him. "How did you manage that?"

"I talked to my mom. It was getting a little hairy, so I finally told her that your parents had passed away and you had nightmares and you didn't want anyone else to know so I was going to sleep on the daybed and wake you before they got bad. I really hope I didn't give her too much information, but the conversation was going downhill and I needed to salvage it." Henry looked at Elizabeth hopefully.

"That's okay. There was a time when sharing my parents' death was hard, but in light of everything else, that is the easiest part of the story to deal with." She threw herself backwards on the bed. "That is so fucked up. It is beyond comprehension." She lay there for a minute before rolling to her side to look at Henry. "Thank you for being here."

Henry sat down on the bed and leaned over her. "I'm always going to be here for you." He kissed her softly. "Now go get ready for bed. You look exhausted."

"Well thanks!" she said sarcastically, and Henry rolled his eyes. He pulled her to her feet and gave her a playful shove toward the doorway. By the time she returned a few minutes later with makeup removed and hair pulled into a loose ponytail, Henry had changed into a pair of sweats and an old t-shirt.

He went to the bathroom and brushed his teeth, washed up. When finished, he slipped into the bedroom, closing the door behind him. He found Elizabeth wearing her favorite pair of flannel PJ pants and one of his t-shirts. He grinned and took her into his arms, kissing her. "I was looking for that shirt," he said accusingly.

Elizabeth laughed, a real laugh. "If you want it, come take it." She tugged at the hem of his shirt.

"No can do. I promised Mom that I would only be sleeping in here." She fake pouted, which made Henry laugh.

"Fine," she huffed. "Do we at least get to sleep next to each other?" Henry shifted his eyes away from her. "Well damn. This is sucking."

"I told Mom that I would sleep on the daybed and you would sleep on the bed."

She eyed the bed and then the daybed. Back and forth. "Are you feeling letter of the law or spirit of the law?" she asked.

Henry grinned. "Oh I think letter of the law is perfectly fine. You know we'll have to move the bed back in the morning though."

Elizabeth nodded smiling. It was nice to be able to be fun and silly, even if for a short time. "Think we'll get caught?"

"Possibly. I'd keep the door shut just in case. Come on. Help me move the daybed." After a bit of a struggle, they got it moved so that it was next to the full bed.

They both climbed into this respective beds and lay facing each other. Henry reached out. "Give me your hand." She slipped her hand into his and sighed, letting go of some of the day's stress. "I just want to let you know how proud I am of you. What you did today was incredibly difficult and you faced it with a level of courage that I just cannot fathom. I didn't know it was possible to love you even more, but I do."

"Even after hearing all of the gory details of what he did and what he made me do?" In the dimly lit room, he could see the embarrassment all over her face.

"Elizabeth," Henry put his finger under her chin to tilt her head up. "Please look at me. You are not defined by what happened to you. That isn't who you are. You are smart, witty, beautiful, well spoken, kind, and compassionate. You are still all of those wonderful things no matter what he did. Don't ever let anyone make you feel like a lesser person because of him." Henry pressed his lips to her hand. You are a good person and deserve to be happy."

She smiled back at him. "I am happy. You make me see the good in every day. I love you Henry McCord." She leaned up on her elbow and kissed him chastely.

"Goodnight beautiful."

"Goodnight handsome."

Henry was jolted from a sound sleep when Elizabeth ripped her hand out of his. He sat up and turned to she her thrashing about as she started to cry out. Quickly, Henry flipped on the lamp on the bedside table and shook Elizabeth's shoulder. "Babe,' he whispered. She jerked away from him but sat up, her chest heaving, tears in her eyes. "Hey, it's okay. You're safe." He held her hand, stroking her palm with his thumb. She looked up at him, eyes wide with fear. Henry crawled over to her bed and she fell against him.

"Henry. It always feels so real. I always think I can fight him off, but I can't. Then he pins me down." she cried into his shoulder.

"He can't do it anymore. He's in jail. You put him there. He can't hurt you anymore." Henry held her until she fell back asleep and then he scooted over to his bed. He switched off the light, but reached out and caught her hand. Her fingers instinctively wrapped around his.

Susan walked down the hallway early Sunday morning giving the preliminary courtesy knock before she physically woke her children up for church. Sleepily, sisters Erin and Maureen filed out, Erin taking the upstairs bathroom and Maureen heading to the kitchen to start coffee. Shane called out that he was already awake, which left Susan standing in front of the spare bedroom door. She knocked again. When there was no answer, she adopted the attitude that it was her house, she had the right to enter.

She cracked the door and announced her presence before pushing the door open. The scene before her was actually quite adorable. Elizabeth was sprawled all over the bed with the blanket mostly just covering her head. Henry was most certainly on the daybed curled up facing the opposite direction. The notable part of this display was Henry's arm thrown behind him and Elizabeth's stretched out most of the distance of the bed so that their finger interlocked. "Friends my ass," she muttered before tapping Henry's leg. When he stirred, she said, "Time for Mass." Turning, she walked out of the room letting the door fall shut a little harder than necessary for emphasis.


	15. Chapter 15

AN: I've had an easy week at work this week, hence being able to write more. I'll be quite a bit busier in the coming weeks, so chapters probably won't be coming regularly.

Chapter 15

Henry felt the tap on his leg and he rolled over. "Time for Mass." The words seemed distant and detached. Then the door slammed shut and his eyes shot open. "Shit," he muttered, and then he felt the twinge of pain in his shoulder. He groaned and then rolled over next to Elizabeth. "Hey babe. Time to wake up.' She rolled into his side and smiled sleepily at him.

"I like to wake up like this," she said, cupping his cheek and kissing his forehead.

"Enjoy it now, because this may be it. We got busted." Elizabeth looked confused. "I was sleeping too soundly when Mom knocked on the door to wake us and she came in to wake me up."

"What did she say?" Elizabeth asked.

"Nothing. I woke up when the door slammed. But, I'm certain there will be a conversation." He kissed her cheek. "Let's get ready." I heard Maureen leave the bathroom if you want to go shower. I'll use the one downstairs." Henry took his bag and went downstairs, dropping it off next to the door when he saw that it was occupied, by his dad he assumed. To pass time, he went to the kitchen to pour himself and Elizabeth a cup of coffee. Susan sat at the table reading a book, and looked up when he walked in.

"You lied," she said, glancing at him over the top of her book.

"I said nothing that was untrue. Granted, there was a lot I left out, but there are things about my life that I reserve the right to withhold." He moved over to pour two cups of coffee. After adding creamer to Elizabeth's cup, he turned to face his mother. "My relationship with Elizabeth is one of those things. I promise you that nothing inappropriate happened, and nothing will happen." Henry stopped, but only for a beat, because he didn't want to hear his mother's response. "I think Dad is out of the bathroom, so I'm going to get ready. When Elizabeth comes down, will you please let her know that this one is hers? Thanks."

Just as Henry was stepping into the bathroom, he saw Elizabeth coming down the stairs. She wore black dress pants and a lightweight red sweater with a floral scarf, and black pumps. Her blond waves framed her face and her bright smile made Henry dizzy. He stayed at the bottom of the stairs waiting for her. "You look great today." He squeezed her hand as it hit the bottom of the handrail. She smiled back. "Mom is in the kitchen and I made you a cup of coffee. It's on the counter next to the coffee pot. Approach her with caution."

"I don't what I'm going to do to avoid it, so I might as well just get it over with," she said shrugging and headed off toward the kitchen.

Henry emerged from the bathroom 20 minutes later ready to go. He was happy to see Elizabeth sitting with his siblings at the dining room table, everyone having a bite to eat before leaving for church. She was chatting with everyone and it seemed to be going well.

He went into the kitchen to get a bowl of cereal and his mother still sat in her same spot. "We aren't done with this, you know," she said not even looking up.

"I figured there would be more discussion. I'm just not sure that I'm willing to tell you much more than I already have, so I'm not sure what we're going to talk about." He filled his bowl with milk and after sticking a spoon in it, headed out to the table with the others.

The family went to Mass. Elizabeth had never been to a Catholic Mass before. She was a little intimidated by the whole scene. She sat next to Shane and there was an empty space on her other side for Henry, who was conspicuously missing. She shifted uncomfortably, wondering where he was. Just as the music started, Henry slipped into the pew beside her. "Where have you been?" she asked.

"Sorry, I had to go to Confession before I could take Holy Communion. It's all good now. Are you okay?" he whispered.

Standing with everyone else, she nodded. He discreetly slipped his hand into hers, and she turned her head toward him and smiled.

When it was all over, he quickly guided her out of the crowd. "Let's go," he whispered.

"Why the rush?" Elizabeth asked, struggling to maneuver around the throng of people in the entryway.

"We are going to get caught by a bunch of people who ask a lot of questions and I don't want to have to lie."

"What would you lie about?" Elizabeth looked at him oddly, then she had a knowing look. "It's about me, isn't it. You don't want to answer questions about me." Henry opened the car door, and she got in without saying a word.

As they drove, he finally spoke. "It's not what you think."

"It's not? I'd be surprised. You don't want to publicly admit your association with me." She used an accusing tone that hurt Henry.

"No. It's not about you at all. It's really about me having any kind of relationship while I'm in college. My mom went to nursing school in the evenings after I was born. It was very difficult to be in school and have a family to take care of. She also saw lots of kids who partied, or met someone and dropped out of school to get married, or dropped out because they got someone pregnant and a lot of other irresponsible stuff. She's adamant that I'm at school to learn and that's all I'm allowed to do. So. It's not that you are my girlfriend, it's that I might have a girlfriend at all. She doesn't want me to end up like those people she went to college with who dropped out and ended up with the same kind of low end jobs, only now they had college debt. She doesn't understand. I've tried to explain how I can do well in my classes and still have a life, but she just condemns it all, so I just don't tell her about anything but classes. And, well, my dad thinks I shouldn't be in college at all, so talking to him really isn't an option. I just didn't want to get hung up with a bunch of people at church who innocently ask about you and I either say yes we are a couple and send my mom off the deep end or say no we aren't and send you off the deep end."

"So by trying to avoid the whole topic, you're about to piss us both off?" she asked. Henry knew she wasn't specifically trying to be accusatory, but that's where the conversation was going.

He pulled off into a parking lot and parked the car so he could turn and look at her. "Tell me about our status last week. What was I to you?" Elizabeth pulled her hand away from his and rested them in her lap, but said nothing.

"It's a bit difficult to call you my girlfriend when you are just waiting for me to dump you or you make a preemptive strike and leave me first." She turned her head away from him. "Look at me Elizabeth. I will shout it from the rooftops to everyone who will listen if I know you are in this long term, but I'm not ready to blow up my relationship with my mom for you to decide next week that you're out."

She averted his gaze again. Henry was concerned that he may have issued an ultimatum that she wasn't ready to accept. "I love you with all my heart. I want to spend the rest of my life with you, marry you, have kids with you, grow old with you, all of that stuff. It's not that I'm not in. I'm waiting until you are before I set my world on fire. It's completely fine if you aren't in the same place I am, but please don't get angry with me for trying to protect what will remain if you should leave. I would be-hell, I was-devastated when you left. My only thing that kept me from completely losing it was the knowledge that my family was still there."

"How come I didn't know any of this before now? Hell, Henry we've lived together almost seven months."

"Tell me Elizabeth," he said, his voice growing quiet, "What have you learned about me since we moved in together, or even Spring Break?"

She looked at him like she was shocked that he would ask such a question. "You are way more of a neat freak than I am and it bugs you when I leave things lying around. You eat dumplings because I like them, but you prefer spring rolls. You are a morning person. You go to Mass every Sunday. Unless your jeans get dirty, you wear them three times before you wash them." Elizabeth gave him a "So there!" look.

"Tell me how I felt about your visit with Will or how I like my classes or how hard it was to negotiate every time I wanted to touch you, or how I felt listening to you sob on the other side of my wall and could do nothing to help you. Do you know those things?" Elizabeth's mouth hung open as if she wanted to speak, but had no words.

Henry pressed on, determined to say what he'd been wanting to say for quite a while. "Then last week, I got called out and completely shot down for looking at you like I wanted you. Admittedly, I didn't handle it the best and that could use some work, but I came back to try and work it out and you left. And you left for all the wrong reasons. It wasn't about the comment or your reaction. I was frustrated that when I tried to share my feelings, they were met with anger and dismissal."

"Why did you let it go on for so long? I mean obviously I should've seen, but when I didn't, why didn't you say something?"

Henry shrugged, "A lot of times, it didn't seem important or I truly didn't care. It wasn't a big deal, But, then when it did bother me, it always seemed like an inconvenient or inappropriate time, so I just shoved it aside." They sat quietly for a long time, Henry didn't know what to say and he assumed Elizabeth felt the same.

Light snow began to fall. Henry got lost watching the snowflakes, trying to follow one flake from high in the sky until it hit the ground. He jerked when Elizabeth placed her hand on his arm, bringing him out of his reverie. "I've never done this relationship thing before, and obviously, I haven't had good examples of how to properly communicate with a partner, so I'm sorry I didn't give you the opportunity to be heard. I'll try to do better and if I am blowing you off, tell me that's what I'm doing. I promise it wasn't purposeful, but it was self-centered." She squeezed his arm.

"Thank you, and I apologize for not being upfront with you about things. It's like I was trying to be a martyr or something, trying to push everything aside for you. That wasn't fair to either of us." He placed his left hand on hers, covering it. He stared at her for a minute. "So where do we stand now?"

"I'm not running away. I'm all in," she said.

"You're sure?" he asked.

""Yeah, I'm sure. Are you still willing? This thing with my uncle is going to get worse before it gets better."

"I'm not making any life decisions based on that prick. I'm with you, whatever comes our way, we'll deal with it." Elizabeth reached up and pulled Henry's head toward hers, their lips brushing briefly before she pulled his bottom lip between hers, running her tongue over it. He parted his lips letting his tongue touch hers. It was slow, almost reverent. He felt her love in that kiss and all of his insecurities melted away. When they parted, he asked, '"What am I telling my mother? Because she will be all over me when we get back."

"Tell her everything. If I'm a permanent fixture, they're going to find out eventually. We might as well get it out of the way. If you want me to, I will tell her." Elizabeth offered.

"No. I've got this. I will tell her what she needs to know." He ran his hand through her hair and cupped the back of her head. "Kiss me like that again." She smiled and let him pulled her close and she kissed him. "I love you," he said.

"And I love you. I've loved you for a long time, but even after I knew it, I was afraid, I have been afraid to completely surrender myself to it. I just always kept it in the back of my mind that you would decide I was just too much and leave. But I'm not doing that anymore." She scooted over in the seat and rested her head on Henry's arm. "Let's go back."

It was only a few minutes later that the pair walked through the front door of the McCord house, laughing together about something one of them had said. "Henry Patrick McCord, you and I need to talk NOW!"

Erin and Maureen, who were sitting in the living room, on cue said, "Oooooo, Henry's in trouble!" He shot them a "shut up" look and they giggled.

Elizabeth grabbed Henry's hand and squeezed it. "Good luck," she whispered, before she took off upstairs to change.

Henry reached over to the coat tree behind the front door and held out Susan's coat. "Let's go get a coffee."

"I'm not going out to pay for a coffee that I can have right here in my home," Susan blustered.

"Well, then. Come with me so I can get a coffee and you can sit and watch me drink it." Henry still held the coat out and finally Susan put her arms in the sleeves and shrugged into it. "Thank you," he said. "Let's go."

On the way, Susan stared out the window. Henry finally said, "I'm sure you have a laundry list of things that you want to say. You might as well go ahead and say them."

"When did you become so incredibly rude and disrespectful? You show up late with no call. You make demands that seemingly have sketchy reasons, but you won't elaborate, and you obviously are telling half truths. You dash out of church with not so much as a word to anyone and then you show up two hours later like everything is supposed to be fine."

"You are correct. I have done all of those things. And I'm sorry I upset you. Hopefully by the end of this, you will understand why and well, it remains to be seen if I'll still be around after today or not." She shot him a glaring look.

"If it's that bad, you might want to rethink telling me," she said.

"No. You get to hear it all. That's why I came back late this morning. Elizabeth and I needed to talk about a few things before I talked to you."

"Hmmpf. Elizabeth. She seems like a sweet girl, but that's not supposed to be on your agenda."

Henry parked and he ushered his mom inside, pointing to a table in the back, and ordered two coffees and two muffins. He brought them to the table and sat down. "I said I didn't want anything," she snapped.

"Well, we might end up being here long enough that I take them for myself. Otherwise you are welcome to them. So, as of an hour ago, Elizabeth is my girlfriend. I was not lying when I said she was my best friend. We've been something for quite a while now, but I wasn't sure exactly what that was. We've lived together as roommates since this past May and she moved out last week, which was the reason finals were so difficult, but she's back now."

Henry made it a point not to break eye contact with his mom. He wasn't ashamed of any of his actions and he wanted to make sure she knew that. "You are destroying what you've worked three years for."

"No Mom, I'm not. I'm not one of those kids that you went to school with twenty years ago. So far, I have a perfect grade point average and Elizabeth has been around quite a while and I kept it. Studying has never been a problem. She has a full academic scholarship. She takes her studies very seriously too. I graduate in May and start grad school in the fall. In another year, I'll graduate with a master's degree and I'll go into the Marines. Just like the plan has always been. Nothing has changed other than I have someone to share my life with. That's really a good thing."

"Why is it necessary to live together? I know I've taught you better than to be setting up house before you are married," Susan huffed.

Henry couldn't help but laugh. "If you knew everything I have done, you would be disappointed on so many levels, living with Elizabeth probably isn't even close to the top." His mother looked dismayed, and he had to bite his tongue to keep from laughing.

"So, Elizabeth. About 15 months ago, I met her in the library. We went on a date and thought we had an okay time, but she essentially stopped talking to me. It was like she fell off the earth. I was devastated because even though i knew her only a short time, I had fallen for her. I worked really hard to get over her and then she showed up in our library spot in March and said she needed to talk to me. She told me what had happened both in her life before me and in the months after our date, and after a weekend of thinking it over, we made amends and have been together ever since.

"So, she had a hard life. Her parents died. I get that. It doesn't mean she needs to live with you."

Henry did his best to swallow his anger at how judgemental his mother was. He also saw in that moment, where he got it from. "After Elizabeth's parents died, she and her brother went to live with her aunt and uncle. Her uncle started molesting her immediately and was raping her by the time she was 16."

"Oh," Susan said, and cast down her eyes.

Henry continued on. "The only reprieve she got was when she went away to boarding school. She stayed there by herself on breaks so she wouldn't have to go back to him. Even the summer after her freshman year of college, she had to go back, because she had no money available to her and nowhere to go. She came back to school that August and met me in October.

After our date, she called her uncle and told him that it wasn't going to happen again. He showed up on campus a few days later, and took her to a motel where he repeatedly raped and tortured her for three days. She tells me all of this right before Spring Break, and after having prayed about it, I knew still liked her and we went out again and started to hang out.

"Henry. That's a lot to overcome in a new relationship."

"Anyway. As May came closer, she still had no place to go and she couldn't go back because she put a restraining order on him, not that she would ever want to anyway. So, I moved to a larger apartment and we live together as roommates. Only since Thanksgiving have we been anything more serious than roommates. We had an argument the Saturday before finals week and she moved out into the dorm with her old roommate. I went to find her Friday and her uncle was there. I stopped him from hurting her and then we ended up spending Friday afternoon and evening at the police station where the detectives tried to get her to press charges. We went yesterday morning to the police station so she could be interviewed and evidently it was enough with the other women that had come forward to arrest him, as you saw on the news last night." For once his mother seemed to have nothing to say. Henry continued with the rest of the story.

"She has terrible nightmares because of it, and that's why I wanted to sleep next to her so I could wake her up before she woke the whole house up, so I wasn't lying about that either. I was just trying to protect her and not have this whole business out there for everyone to see and judge."

"Why this sudden enlightenment that I need to know now?" Susan asked.

"Because after church, we went and talked and resolved the issues around why she left in the first place and since she decided she was going to be a permanent fixture in this family, you would eventually find out and it was better to know at the start. This trial thing will be hard and it will likely come out that she was the family member." Henry took a deep breath. He felt like a huge weight had been lifted from his chest. His mom looked pained though.

"I wish I didn't know," she murmured.

"Well, I tried to vague route and it wasn't working for you. Yesterday I sat through a three hour interview where every single thing was spelled out from the time she was 14 through what he said he was going to do to her moments before I showed up Friday. Trust me, you got the abridged version."

"Permanent fixture, huh? You're that serious about her?" Susan asked.

"I was in love with her before the end of our first date, and I talked myself out of it for a while, but I couldn't ever forget her altogether. She's the one, mom. No, I'm not giving up school, or my plans for the Marines, or anything else, so you don't have to worry."

"Life is harder when you are worried about taking care of someone else," she said.

"But it can be more enjoyable." Henry sighed. "Look I get why you wanted it a certain way for me. I'm sure that going to school and trying to keep up with a husband and a baby was no picnic. I know you wanted it easier for me, but I promise you that no matter what goes on, my life is better with her in it."

Susan leaned into the table and folded her arms on it. "So what are you asking of me here?"

Henry leaned in also. "Well, ideally, you would welcome both of us with open arms and treat her like one of your own. Realistically, maybe just accept the situation and keep all snide comments to yourself."

"You seem to hold me in high regard," she said sarcastically.

"You and I are very similar. Sometimes much more than I'd like to admit."

She laughed. "At least you can see it." She took a drink of her coffee. "What am I telling your dad?"

"Is he even going to notice?"

"Henry. You need to cut him some slack. He cares."

"You've been saying that for years, and I have yet to see it. But that doesn't matter. If he asks, tell him whatever you want."

"You know, if you ask more questions and actually listened to the answers, you would have more common ground than you think."

Henry rubbed his eyes with the heels of his hands. "So what are you going to do?"

"Sounds like it's a done deal, so I should get on board."

"She's really wonderful. You'll love her."

"I'm sure I will," Susan said, picking up the uneaten muffin now carefully wrapped in a napkin and her coffee cup. "We should be heading home." Henry helped Susan put her coat on and wrapped his arm around her shoulders and they walked out of the coffee shop together.


	16. Chapter 16

AN: Sorry for the delay. It took me a while to pick a direction to go. This is kind of a bridge to get to the next part. I hope you like it. I love reviews and I'm up for suggestions.

Chapter 16

Henry and Susan walked into the house after their talk and found the house lacking its usual hustle and bustle. Following the sound of low voices, Susan and Henry ended up in the kitchen where they found Patrick and Elizabeth deep in conversation.

"Hey you," Elizabeth said when she saw Henry standing in the doorway. "How was coffee?"

"It was informative," Susan cut in, wrapping an apron around her waist as she headed to the refrigerator. Henry stood slack jawed watching his father and girlfriend sitting at the table together, both looking like they were having a decent time.

"Is there anything I can do to help?" Elizabeth asked, rising from the table.

"Umm," Susan said, a puzzled look on her face. "You can make a salad with whatever stuff is in the fridge and Henry can you get a three cans of green beans out of the pantry and get them started?"

"Hold on. It's just us for dinner. The other kids are out for the evening," Patrick said, snatching a cucumber slice from the pile that Elizabeth just started slicing.

Susan whipped around to eye him. "Where are they?" Patrick shrugged. "You didn't even ask?"

"Aw hell, Susan. They're 17, 18 and 20. They don't need us tagging after them every little bit. They went out. I told them to be back by ten since tomorrow's a work day."

Patrick reached out to snag another cucumber and Elizabeth smacked his hand. "Stay out of that," she playfully scolded. He just grinned at her and took one anyway. Just to make a point, he held it up like a trophy before popping it in his mouth. Then he walked out of the kitchen.

Both Henry and Susan were put out by his behavior, but for different reasons. Elizabeth just grinned and continued cutting up the vegetables for the salad.

Henry spent the next few hours on an emotional rollercoaster. Elizabeth and Patrick were getting along well, better than well even. Henry was happy that Elizabeth was enjoying herself, but as Elizabeth and Patrick chatted throughout dinner and into the evening, he was confused and maybe even a tad jealous of his father's jovial relationship with his girlfriend.

They lay side by side that night, on one bed, the daybed having been moved back against the wall. Henry figured he was pushing the envelope with that one, but his mom didn't specifically forbid him from sleeping "next to Elizabeth." He figured his assessment was a little off, but he didn't plan on letting them get caught.

Henry rolled over on his side to get a better view of Elizabeth. "So how did you and my dad end up being so friendly?"

"I just started asking him questions and after he saw that I wasn't giving up, he answered them, then he asked me some and we just talked back and forth. No big deal. I call it conversation." She giggled and poked Henry in the ribs.

"No big deal says the person who just struck up a conversation with the world's most obnoxious stubborn man!"

"I don't think you give him enough credit. He is brash, but once I worked to break the ice, he's been fine. I just didn't take no for an answer." She put her hand on Henry's cheek. "How did things really go with your mom?"

"It was okay I guess. Mom is very set in her ways about how things should be. It's hard to move her off that line of thinking, but I think I made progress. We'll see as the week goes on."

"How are you doing? You've been through a lot in the past few days." He took Elizabeth's hand and kissed it before holding it to his chest.

"Truthfully, I'm better than I thought I'd be. The distraction of being here is helping. If I were alone at home, I think I'd be going crazy."

"You should call Will."

"I actually tried yesterday, and left a message on his machine at school. I think he might already be off on break. He's going skiing, but I don't know when he's leaving or for how long. He will probably leave a message on the machine at home for me. As much as I'd like for us to be closer, that's just not how we usually work. We just run across each other occasionally." Elizabeth closed her eyes and sighed. Henry knew that she felt deep regret about her relationship with Will.

"Maybe when we get home you can figure out where he is and catch up with him. Let's try to make that happen, okay?"

Elizabeth nodded and she rolled into Henry and pressed herself to him. "Hold me, please." She looked up meeting his eyes.

Henry shifted and wrapped his arms around her. Elizabeth tensed, then Henry pressed a kiss to the corner of her mouth. "It's me babe. Relax."

"Yeah," she breathed out and tucked her head against his shoulder. It took several minutes but he finally felt her relax against him and after a while, her breathing became steady. Henry kissed her forehead and allowed himself to fall asleep.

Henry was pulled from slumber with light kisses to his forehead, then the bridge of his nose, then his cheeks. Henry smiled as he moved to catch her lips in his. She smiled into his kiss and parted her lips inviting him in. He ran his hand up her arm. Their tongues touched and Henry felt the telltale signs of arousal brewing deep within him. Licking the underneath side of her upper lip, Henry pulled back. "Good morning babe," he said.

"I love you," Elizabeth said.

Henry grinned. "Someone got a full night's sleep." Elizabeth nodded happily.

"I did!" she whispered excitedly. "And I want to celebrate." She trailed her hand down Henry's chest and he caught her hand just before she reached the waistband of his sweatpants.

"We should celebrate, but not like that. At least not here. I promised." Elizabeth poked her bottom lip out in fake protest. Henry kissed her cheek. "How about I make you pancakes?"

She smiled. "I do like pancakes. Maybe not as much as I like you, but pancakes are pretty good."

"Let's go." Henry rolled off the bed pulling Elizabeth with him. He held out her favorite robe and slid it over her shoulders. Taking her by the hand, he quietly lead her down the stairs and into the kitchen where she helped him get the ingredients to make pancakes. Together, they measured and mixed and giggled and hugged.

They stood side by side at the stove while Henry put the pancake batter on the hot griddle. She had her arm snaked around his waist, holding him close. They both watched as the edges turned golden brown. "Now?" she asked. Henry shook his head. Several bubbles formed on the surface and popped. "Now?" Again, Henry shook his head. The third time, Elizabeth gripped his forearm. "Don't let my pancakes burn," she begged. Henry chuckled and flipped them, perfectly browned. A minute later, he pulled them off the griddle and stacked them on a plate for Elizabeth. "Thank you," she murmured, kissing his cheek. She turned to sit down and saw Susan standing in the doorway. "Good morning Mrs. McCord, Henry's making pancakes, if you want some."

"Call me Susan," Henry's mom said. "You do realize that it's 5:30 in the morning, right?"

Elizabeth blushed. "Actually, I didn't. I was excited that I slept all night. I wanted to celebrate. I hope we didn't wake you."

"No. This is when I get up, although usually I enjoy my cup of coffee alone. But today I'll partake in some celebratory pancakes." She smiled. "All night, huh?"

"Well, maybe like 6 hours, which is a really long time." Henry handed his mom a plate of pancakes as Elizabeth started the coffee.

By the time the coffee finished brewing and the butter and syrup were on the table, Henry had finished making his pancakes and they sat down together. It was quiet at first as they ate, but when Elizabeth looked up, she caught Susan watching her. Susan immediately shifted her gaze. Elizabeth finished the last couple bites of her pancake and turned her attention to the older woman. "Okay, I know you have questions. What do you want to know? I'll try to be honest."

Susan studied Elizabeth. "I'm not sure. I'm sorry about your parents. I was in my twenties when my mom passed away and already married with two kids. I know how hard it was for me then. I can't even fathom having to go through that in my teens, and both parents too."

Elizabeth shrugged. "Bad things just happen sometimes. Their death put so many things into motion, that I'm not even sure what to do with it sometimes. I just try to compartmentalize things. I miss them, but their death sort of ended up taking a back seat due to other stuff. Even that's weird to say since my aunt stuck me in therapy as soon as I moved in with them. I talked about it ad nauseum for 4 years, but I talked about that to cover up what I wasn't talking about." Elizabeth stood and poured another cup of coffee. She moved to the table and refilled both Susan's and Henry's cup before sitting back down.

"So you never got any kind of help for the other," Susan paused, attempting to choose the right word, "thing?"

"Not until I went to college. I was probably three or four visits in when my therapist looked at me and asked when I was going to be ready to talk about the abuse. I was dumbstruck that she could pick up on it. I thought I was covering pretty well. She was really good at her job and helped me quite a bit. Unfortunately, she moved at the end of my freshman year and a lot of things happened that weren't very good and when I came back for my sophomore year, there was a new person and she had me doing some things that were pretty destructive. Henry told me I needed to switch therapists. It was the best advice I ever received. I still see Marsha every week, although maybe I'll be needing to up that in the near future." Elizabeth let out a low laugh. "Because if I don't need counseling for my past, I'll probably need it for what's coming.' Elizabeth rolled her eyes and stood, leaning against the cabinets.

"There are a lot of people that couldn't or wouldn't do it. Come forward, I mean. I've seen a lot of things working in a hospital. It says a lot about you as a person, that you have the strength to come forward. So many don't." Susan said.

"I feel a lot of things. Very seldom do I feel strong." Elizabeth said softly and looked down at the floor. Henry scooted his chair back and reached out and caught her fingers in his. He pulled her to him and she sat on his lap. Using his thumb, he wiped away the tears that escaped her eyes. Elizabeth rested her cheek against his head.

Susan looked at the both of them. "There are some things about the two of you that I wish were different and some things that I just don't approve of. That being said, I want you to know that you will always be able to come here and it be a safe place for both of you." She stood, placed her cup in the sink and moved behind them wrapping her arms around both. She looked at Henry. "The pancakes were good, son.". Susan turned to Elizabeth, "I'm glad you got some rest." Then she walked out of the room.

Elizabeth and Henry spent the rest of the week just hanging out. Henry received his grades in the mail on Friday afternoon and was pleased to find out that he did manage to keep all of his As and his perfect GPA. They decided to go out and celebrate. Henry was very closed mouth about what he had planned, only telling Elizabeth that it wasn't a formal affair, so jeans and a sweater would be perfectly fine.

When they turned into the venue, Elizabeth read the sign, Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens. "Hmm, will there be much to see in winter? In Pittsburgh?"

"I think so," Henry commented, as he pushed her car door closed.

They walked into the main building and Elizabeth's breath was taken away. The foliage was lush. Henry paid for their tickets and sidled up to her, taking her by the arm. "Shall we?"

They meandered through the various exhibits and moved through many buildings. "Henry, this is beautiful. Do you see that? _Phalaenopsis amabilis,"_ she said, in perfect Latin. "It stands for Tiger Face in Moon Orchid," She studied the flower. "That's crazy. You can totally see the tiger face." Henry nodded. He was enjoying the fact that Elizabeth was so enthralled. He wasn't sure how much she would like it.

"Ooo, look! Birds of Paradise." she exclaimed.

"And the Latin?" Henry prompted, since she had read off probably 50 Latin species names in the past half hour. " _Strelitizia,"_ she said, grinning at him. Henry stood there watching her move gracefully through the flowers, her face lighting up as she pointed out facts of interest, it occured to Henry that he rarely saw Elizabeth completely at ease. Right now, she was glowing, her frame completely relaxed. She was thinking only good thoughts. Henry thought she was always beautiful, but now in this moment, she was angelic, heavenly, beyond this world. She turned and saw him watching her. She blushed and looked away. He stepped up to her and took her hand. "Does me watching you make you feel uncomfortable?" She shook her head. "Good, because you are so beautiful that I can't take my eyes off of you."

"Hen-" she started.

"No. You need to know that. You are beautiful and it's not just because you are pretty, which you are, but you are so much more than that. Everything you are makes you beautiful to me." He moved closer and tucked her hair behind her ear. "I love you." He kissed her, soft and slow. He relished her lips on his, feeling her melt into him. When he finally pulled away, he slipped his arm around her waist. "There's more to see. Come on." From that point on, they didn't break contact. They held hands, linked arms, leaned into each other .

Dinner was much the same way. Henry and Elizabeth sat next to each other instead of across from each other. She hooked her leg over his and he rested his hand on her knee. They laughed and they talked and told stories. On the way home, Elizabeth slid her hand under Henry's and linked their fingers. "I think this may well be the best day of my life. I'm not sure why, but I feel so at ease and happy. Thank you."

"I can tell that you're more relaxed. I'm happy I got to share this great day with you." He picked up her hand and kissed it. Suddenly he dropped her hand. "What is that?" Henry gestured ahead to the police car parked in front of his parents' house.

He parked and walked around the car to get the door for Elizabeth. Helping her out, two policemen approached them. "Are you Elizabeth Adams?" the shorter man asked. Elizabeth nodded. He handed her a card. "It's been requested that you contact the Crime Task Force of the Arlington, Virginia Police Department. That's the contact information there." He pointed to the card. "Have a good night." Turning, the man and his partner got back in their car and pulled away from the curb.

"What the hell was that?" Patrick asked, now standing at the end of the sidewalk next to Henry and Elizabeth.

"I don't know, but I can't imagine that it will be good," Elizabeth murmured.


	17. Chapter 17

AN: There's just a little twist and a lot of smut going on. Prepare yourself!

Chapter 17

Elizabeth turned the card over in her hand. She was sitting in the chair next to the small telephone stand in the living room.

"Would someone please tell me what the hell is going on here?" Patrick said, his voice slightly elevated and agitated.

"Dad," Henry said, his tone indicating his readiness to tear into the man.

"Henry, no," Elizabeth said quietly, reaching out and placing her hand on Henry's arm. "Your dad is fine." She turned her attention to Patrick. "There's a lot to the story, but the gist of it is that my uncle was arrested because of the statement I gave them. Now, they want to talk to me for some reason."

Henry heard the air rush out of Patrick's lungs. Henry turned to glance at his father. He was genuinely surprised to find that his father looked pained. Patrick took a step forward and knelt down in front of Elizabeth taking her hand. "I'm so sorry that happened. If there is anything that Susan and I can do, please let us know."

"Thank you. I appreciate it." She gave Patrick a weak smile. "I wonder what they could possibly want," she mumbled.

"Patrick and I will go in the other room, so you can have some privacy," Susan said, nodding her head toward the kitchen in case Patrick hadn't taken the cue. He stood, finally dropping Elizabeth's hand. "Let us know if you need anything." Patrick squeezed Henry's shoulder as he passed.

Henry was confused by the entire display. The only time he'd even remotely seen his dad get emotional was when Erin had been in a car wreck when she'd been with friends. For a while, no one knew exactly what had happened, only that there had been an accident. He looked similar now. He wondered why this seemed to affect his dad so much.

Elizabeth was still staring at the card. "Babe, do you want me to dial it for you?"

"No. I can do it." She looked up at Henry. "Will you sit with me?'

"Of course," He sat in the nearby recliner. "Bring the phone over here and sit on my lap." She moved to Henry and sat, holding the phone in her own lap while sitting on his.

"Okay. The news isn't going to get any better if I wait longer," she said, and Henry squeezed her knee.

"Whatever it is, I'll be here. You aren't alone," Henry said, nuzzling her shoulder. She nodded determinedly and dialed the number written on the card.

"Yes. May I speak to someone in the Crime Task Force?"

"Thank you."

"Hello. This is Elizabeth Adams."

"Yes."

"What?" She furrowed her brow and Henry strained to interpret the sounds on the other end of the call.

"How?"

"So what does that mean for the case?"

"Mmm hmm, and me?"

"Do I need to do anything?"

"Thank you. Bye."

Elizabeth placed the receiver gently in the cradle and sat motionless. He waited, thinking that she would tell him. She was in her own world for a long time. Henry was trying to tamp down the concern that was growing in him like a wildfire. Finally, she looked up and met his gaze. "It's over," she said.

Henry shook his head in disbelief. "What do you mean, it's over? They dropped the charges and let him go?"

"No. He's dead. They found him this afternoon. He hung himself with the bed sheets."

"So, that's it? No trial? No publicity?"

"There will be an investigation to make sure there was no wrongdoing by the police and then the case will be closed. That's it. They don't need me for anything else." She still sat staring at the phone on her lap.

"Elizabeth. Look at me." She turned her head to the side, so he could see her. "How are you? What are you thinking?"

"I don't know. It seems like such a waste, you know. All that anguish, and now you know everything. I could've spared you. It's just like him to make me relive it all just for him to kill himself. He probably got some sort of satisfaction out of that right before he took his last breath." Elizabeth closed her eyes, willing the tears to stay away.

"I don't think that was the case at all." Henry moved the phone to the floor and took Elizabeth's hand. "I think he knew that once you came forward, he was done. The police couldn't convict him without you, but once they had you, it was open and shut. Everyone would know, but it wasn't that they would know and think less of you, it was that they would know what he was. His empire, his legacy, was going to be destroyed. He killed himself because he was a coward. He couldn't watch it all come crashing down as a consequence of his own actions. He was a small person. He was weak and evil." Henry pulled Elizabeth down against him. "You are stronger and he knew it. He knew he couldn't fight you and win."

She rested against Henry's strong chest. "Is it wrong that I want to see that son of a bitch to make sure he's dead?" she mumbled against him.

"Really? I guess if it would bring you some kind of closure, I'm all for it, but I'm not sure how you'd go about doing it." Henry stopped to think about it a moment. "Do you know what mortuary would handle the funeral? Maybe you could call and go beforehand? Is that something you really want to do?"

"Maybe, I'm not sure I'll believe it unless I see it. Could it really be over?" she asked, a hint of hopefulness in her voice.

"Depends how you define over. Over as in him never being able to try and hurt you again, yes. Over as in he's dead, you'll never think of it again, doubtful." She tipped her head up and gave him a hard look. "Hey, I'm not saying it won't get better, but I have naively thought things would magically get better when certain things happened and that's not reality. I'm just saying. I hope so, but don't count on it."

She lay her head back down and listened to the steady beating of Henry's heart. She spoke softly. "I want it to be over. I want to not have him creep into my thoughts. I want to just go to bed at night and not wonder if I'll actually be able to sleep or if I'll just lay there and feel him on me." She stilled and then raised up to look at Henry. "I'm sorry. That wasn't something you needed to know."

"It's okay babe. It's not like I didn't figure it happened. Although there was a part of me that thought maybe it would help to have more good experiences to flood out the bad?" He posed it as a question.

"The nights I sleep are the nights I dream of you," she whispered, shifting her weight and placing a soft kiss on his mouth.

"Challenge accepted," he murmured against her lips, smiling. "Hey, my parents are still in the kitchen. Do you want to let them know what's happening or shall I?"

"You can," she said.

"Then would you want to go out for ice cream?" She nodded, grinning at him.

"And then maybe a little "togetherness" before we come back?" she asked, winking at him.

"Fine minds think alike." He kissed her and then she stood and offered her hand to help him up.

"I'm going to run upstairs and change. I'll meet you down here in a few." She planted a quick kiss to his cheek.

Henry stepped into the kitchen. Susan and Patrick we're sitting at the kitchen table talking. They both looked up expectantly. "He killed himself." Henry shrugged. "It's over."

Susan slumped back in her chair and Patrick just looked stunned. "What?" he finally managed to say.

"Yeah. I would never have thought that would be the outcome," Henry said

"I'm grateful for Elizabeth's sake. At least there won't be a public trial and news coverage and that kind of thing," Susan said and Patrick nodded in agreement.

Henry moved from the doorway and sat down at the table. "Umm, I just want to thank both of you for how you've handled this. I know it was unexpected, but you've both been very kind to Elizabeth and I appreciate it."

"She's growing on me," Patrick said. "And it's not like I have a choice. She's going to talk my ear off one way or another." He grinned at Henry. "Your mother's all up in arms about you two being in the same room, but I don't care. You're almost 22 for God's sake. Just don't be loud. I don't want to hear it."

"Patrick James McCord, absolutely not!" Susan's voice grew shrill.

"Hold on Mom, it's fine. I already told you that nothing will happen, so nothing will happen. Anyway, I'm going to take Elizabeth out for an ice cream cone. Do you guys want us to bring you something back?"

"I'm fine. Patrick?" Susan asked.

"I'm good. I'm going to go sit down where it's comfortable." Patrick stood up from the table.

"Hey, dad." Henry caught his dad's arm. "Thanks. Really."

Patrick clapped him on the shoulder. "You're welcome son."

Elizabeth stuck her head into the kitchen as soon as Patrick exited. "Are you ready?"

"Yeah." Henry stood and gave his mom a hug. "Thanks Mom." Then, turning to Elizabeth, he said, "Let's go."

The pair sat opposite each other with a turtle sundae between them. "This is really good," she said, taking another bite.

"Uh huh," Henry agreed, reaching out to wipe a bit of chocolate off Elizabeth's lip with his thumb. They ate the rest mostly in silence, shooting each other glances every minute or so.

As they finished, Henry picked up the bowl to toss in the trash. Elizabeth looped her arm around his waist and whispered, "Are you still up for a little, you know what, tonight?"

"Pretend we're teenagers and do it in the car?" Henry chuckled.

"Why not?" Elizabeth tickled his ribs. He squirmed and laughed, pulling her to his lips for a kiss. They walked out of the building and he opened the car door for her. "I even dressed for the occasion." Henry had noticed her switch from the khaki pants she wore earlier in the evening to the plaid flared skirt she had on now. He smiled widely.

Henry backed out of the parking space and pulled out onto the street. "My dad really likes you, ya know," he said.

"Why do you say that?" Elizabeth asked.

"Just the way he is around you and he said that you're growing on him. He probably likes you as much as his own children." Henry chuckled.

"He's really not as bad as you make him out to be. I know that you have your differences, but I think he does want the best for you."

"Being condescending and argumentative isn't the best way to show that." Henry huffed.

"But your mom treats you much the same way and you don't get nearly as defensive with her."

Henry opened his mouth to argue, but then stopped. Elizabeth had a point. It was only when his mom had tried to sway him on Elizabeth that he'd shut her down, much the same way he dealt with his father when they talked about the steel mill and college. "Maybe my mom and I just haven't had reason to butt heads like my dad and I have, or I haven't cared about the things she takes a stand on." He looked over at Elizabeth, "Well, until you."

Henry turned into a city park and drove all the way to the back of the furthest parking lot on the back side of a couple ball fields. He parked and cut the engine. "Horny teens, huh?" he smirked.

"I think horny twenty somethings is more accurate," she giggled and leaned in to kiss Henry. Parting, she shifted her weight and climbed between the console and the seats, landing in the back seat. "I'm waiting," she said as she put her feet up on the seat.

Henry laughed at her boldness and climbed out of the car, popped the trunk and grabbed a blanket before opening the back door, scooting in next to her and pulling the door shut. "Thought you might get cold," he said.

"I'm hoping that you'll keep me warm," she said, taking charge, grabbing his shirt and pulling him on top of her.

"Are you sure you want to be doing this?" he asked. He studied her eyes in the dim moonlight.

M RATED

"I'll let you know if anything changes, but right now, I want you. I want this." He brushed her hair back, exposing her ear. He leaned in close, his hot breath fanning down her neck and he ran his tongue along the ridge before sucking on her earlobe. He quickly moved to the flesh behind her ear and he felt the quickening of her breaths, and her hands tugging his shirt from his jeans.

Henry moved to meet her lips and her hands were able to skim under his shirt, digging into his back. His erection was becoming uncomfortable. Instinctively she knew and before he could pull back, Elizabeth was unbuttoning his jeans, freeing him, stroking him, massaging his balls. Henry moaned and pushed into her hand. "God you feel good," he mumbled against her.

She pulled back. "Let me make you feel good." Elizabeth pushed against Henry's chest, until he sat upright and she pushed him back against the door. Awkwardly, she pulled her leg out from underneath him and knelt in the floorboard. She tugged his jeans down close to his knees and before he even realized what her plan was, her mouth was wrapped around his cock.

"Oh, mmm. Elizabeth, no. I don't want-" he started, and Elizabeth pulled off of him, and caught his gaze.

"You really don't want me to or you don't want me to think I have to or should in light of my past experiences?"

"Well, in general I don't ever want you to think you have to do anything, but in this case in particular because of your past experiences." Henry looked at her, trying to decide if he'd made her mad.

"I don't think I have to do anything and unless you are planning to force me to deepthroat you and then rip my hair out if I gag, then I think we're going to be fine." She pushed herself up to meet him eye to eye. "So, I'll ask again. Do you really want me to stop?" Elizabeth licked her lips and stared at him, waiting for an answer.

"No," he said, his voice raspy and laced with desire. "I don't want you to stop." She let their lips meet and kissed him hard. When she pulled back, she trailed her tongue down his chest and abdomen before taking him in again.

Henry sucked in a ragged breath. Her nails scraped his inner thighs and he shuddered. She took him all the way in, her tongue formed to the underneath side of his cock, sucking. She pulled back focusing her attention on his tip, rolling her tongue around it. She took him back in and Henry fought the urge to push his hips into her. "God that feels amazing. You are so good." it wasn't even a minute later that he ran his fingers through her hair. "Babe, I'm close. Babe, move,"

"Nuh uh," she hummed into him and the vibration at the back of her throat sent him over the edge. He stiffened and left his deposit which she allowed to swallowed easily. When he recovered, she kissed her way back up his body. "How was that?" she murmured against his cheek.

"Fuck," was all he managed to get out and the uncharacteristic use of profanity caused Elizabeth to laugh. He shifted them so that she was now under him again. She kissed him as he ran his hands up under her shirt.

She sucked in a sharp breath. "Your hands are freezing!" she squealed.

"It's a problem I'm trying to remedy." He grinned. He coaxed her back off the seat and unhooked her bra. Henry lifted her shirt and kissed his way up to her breasts, taking one in his mouth alternating licking and sucking. She pushed her hips into him. He switched, allowing his free hand to catch her nipple and pinch it lightly. She hummed her approval, running her hands through his hair and down over his shoulders. He ran a hand down her side and massaged her hip before moving his fingers into her heat. She let out a shriek and pushed into his hand. "Tell me how it feels," he whispered.

"God, Henry, your touch, you. It feels so good and I feel your love. Right there, like that." He continued his ministrations, taking her over the edge. As she quivered underneath him, he felt himself hardening against her.

Elizabeth felt it too and within moments of coming down was on his lap taking him in fully. Henry let out a hoarse cry and wrapped his hands around her ass, squeezing it. She involuntarily rocked against him seeking friction. As she moved faster, she rocketed toward another orgasm. "Henry, I can't do it again. It's too much. She buried her head against his neck.

"Let go babe. You can do it. It will be good. Do you trust me?"

"Of course," she moaned into him and Henry took hold of her hips and assisted her in getting a rhythm going. "Uhhhh, just little bit more," she finally ground out, barely able to put two words together. Henry reached between them and rubbed her clit and she came almost immediately. He pushed just a few more times and came again himself.

*That was intense," she said, taking in big gulps of air replenishing her oxygen.

"You are so beautiful. I love to love you." Henry pulled Elizabeth close and kissed her. "Let's go back and go to sleep, together."

AN: I opted not to write a lengthy trial. I have neither the time, nor the interest, to research it and do it right, so I just decided not to. Future chapters will include some interaction between Henry and his father and Elizabeth/Will/her aunt.

Please leave a review and let me know what you think. Thanks.


	18. Chapter 18

AN: Sorry this has taken a back seat for a while. This story is nearing its end-perhaps another couple chapters.

Thank you for the kind reviews. i really appreciate them.

Chapter 18

"I have some serious mixed feelings about this Henry," Elizabeth leaned her head back against the headrest and closed her eyes.

"You don't have to do it, you know," he said, rubbing her arm. "We can go home."

"Oh no. That is not an option. We came all this way. I am walking into that funeral home and I'm going to look at that son of a bitch and tell him that he can rot in hell," Elizabeth said through gritted teeth. "That's the least of the issues."

"What's the sticking point then," Henry asked.

"My aunt. I've never addressed her in relation to any of this, and I'm certain she's here." Elizabeth pointed to the Mercedes across the parking lot parked against the fence.

"Oh. I hadn't really considered her either. Do you think she knew? I know you said she was upset by the restraining order, but you haven't really said much else about her." Henry's mind was racing. They made this trip to bring Elizabeth some sense of closure, not to have any some kind of big argument with her aunt.

"I don't know. At the time, I swore she would have to be a damned idiot not to know. A few months ago, I talked to Marsha about it and she said that a lot of times the people closest to the perpetrator have no idea, either because they subconsciously dismiss the clues or because the person is really good at hiding it." Elizabeth shrugged and reached for Henry's hand. "I know she didn't want us, so I always just thought that she knew and it was my punishment for being there."

"Surely that wasn't the case," Henry said, "But, then again, you didn't think your uncle would end up being a rapist." Elizabeth nodded in agreement. "So, do you want me to go in first and scout it out?"

"No, let's just get this over with. If I see her, I'll deal with whatever comes. It's not like dealing with her is going to be harder than anything else I've had to do. This will probably be the last time I ever see her, so I'm not going to ruin some important relationship."

Henry walked around to open the door for Elizabeth. He threaded his arm around her back and she did the same and they walked to the door together. A young man, who Elizabeth assumed was an employee of the funeral home, pushed the door open and they walked in. "All funeral homes smell the same," she muttered. He directed them to a room on the left. It was dim other than the lighting over the casket. The man offered to turn on the lights, but Elizabeth indicated that it wasn't necessary. They walked hand in hand to the front of the room. Henry felt Elizabeth grip his hand tighter. She placed her free hand on the edge of the casket. "Bastard," she murmured as she pulled Henry closer to her. Elizabeth tucked her head into the crook of Henry's neck and cried. Henry held her tight and stared down at the pasty man lying dead before him. Henry didn't feel anger like he did the day he had her uncle by the throat. Today he only held pity for the sad excuse of a man that felt he needed to prey on young women and use them to satisfy his own need for control.

"Lizzie?" The voice came from the doorway on the right side and Elizabeth tensed in his arms. She pulled away from Henry, who handed her the handkerchief from his pocket. Elizabeth dried her tears and got a reassuring nod from Henry before turning around.

"Aunt Darla," she said, her voice calm and even, though Henry knew that was a far cry from what she was actually feeling.

"It's been a while," Darla said. "Since you left for school over a year ago. You look good."

"I'm in a better place in my life now," Elizabeth said softly.

"You've found someone special?" Darla asked. Henry was unsure if Darla was just making small talk or if she has some ulterior motive The rigidness of Elizabeth's body against him made him think that she was wondering the same thing.

"This is my boyfriend, Henry McCord." Elizabeth didn't offer more, so Henry politely nodded in Darla's direction.

"I didn't think you would come." the woman said. Henry took a moment to really look at her. She was a distinguished looking woman. Henry guessed her to be in her early 50s. She had platinum blonde hair that was impeccably styled. She wore a tailored black suit and high heels. His eyes focused on the heels. They had to be at least four inches and she was still quite a bit shorter than Elizabeth, so Henry estimated that she wasn't more than maybe 5' 2". He could tell she'd been crying, as her eyes were red-rimmed and puffy, but her makeup was still intact. He sensed that Elizabeth was surveying her as well.

"I just came to make sure he was dead," Elizabeth said, emotionless. Henry shot Elizabeth a sideways glance. Of course, he knew that's why they were there, but he didn't think she would say that to her aunt.

"So, it's true." Darla Adams looked a little unsteady on her feet. "What you told the police is true?"

"I'm not sure what the police told you," Elizabeth said, still maintaining her stoic exterior, leaving Henry once again in awe of her ability to control her emotions when she wanted to. "But, yes, the statement I gave the police was true."

Darla Adams sucked in a sharp breath and half stepped, half stumbled to the row of chairs about four feet away, landing hard on the end one. "I tried to convince myself that it couldn't be true. That it was some sort of fabrication. That someone wanted to destroy him, what he'd worked for all of his life. I tried telling myself that there was no way that he could've done the things they said he did and I not have known. Of course, I knew he was a cheater. He'd always been a cheater, but there's a big difference between cheating on me and raping young women, his own niece." She had her head buried in her hands. Elizabeth hadn't moved and Henry held onto her, not knowing what might happen next. Darla looked up and met Elizabeth's solemn gaze. "Why didn't you tell me? You always were so reticent around the house, withdrawn into yourself. I thought it was because you resented having to come live with us and were depressed about your parents' death, but now I find out all of this other stuff was happening and I just don't get it. How could you not say a word?"

Henry felt Elizabeth's body change. She went from tense to almost limp. He gripped her tighter around the waist to keep her upright and walked her to a chair and had her sit about five spots down from her aunt. "I was 14. I didn't know anything about anything other than my parents were dead and we had to go to a place that we weren't wanted. I didn't even know enough to know it was wrong at first, that his attention was going to turn into what it did. I thought it was weird, but at least someone was making some sort of effort. When it progressed to the point that I knew it was wrong, what was I going to do? I really thought it was punishment for messing up your life. I didn't know how you could not know."

Darla kept her eyes on Elizabeth. "It was never that you were unwanted. I was woefully unprepared, to have children at all, much less teenagers in the middle of a crisis. I tried, or I thought I was trying. You were just so distant. I thought therapy would help, but you seemed to become more withdrawn, and then after you went to boarding school, you wouldn't come home. You chose to stay alone, rather than be with us, with me."

"That was never the reason."

"I know that now, but I didn't know it then." Darla said, raising her voice. "I took it as a personal affront. Maybe that made me unwilling to see what was happening. Looking back, I see a few things that should have made me wonder-his insistence that you start taking birth control before you left for boarding school, because he said that we had no idea the things that went on and the last thing we wanted was a baby. I thought it odd. You were the last kid I thought would go crazy when given your freedom. And there was one time, the last summer you came back, he got into bed and I swore he smelled like you. It was just a second,and I dismissed it immediately thinking that it was probably his new young secretary or someone he met at the gym or the gentlemen's club he liked to frequent. If only I had my eyes open to what was going on, maybe I could've spared you, maybe at least a little.

"I forgive you, but I don't know that I can offer much more than that. I don't think we can ever have a normal relationship. There's a part of me that feels bad about that, but frankly, you are all tied up with him in my head and I'm doing my best to rid myself of him, and I guess that sort of means you as well, at least for the time being."

Darla turned away and let the tears flow down her face and land in her lap. Her back was to Elizabeth when she spoke, "I am so sorry. Your parents entrusted us with their most beloved treasures and we let them down-Phillip because he was, hell I have no idea what he was, deranged, evil, perhaps mentally ill, I don't know. And me because I loved him and was blind to what he was doing. I hope you are able to overcome this." She turned back to look at Elizabeth. "I appreciate you forgiving me, but I'll never be able to forgive myself. Take care Lizzie and when you see Will, tell him that I wish the best for him as well." She turned her attention to Henry. "Do a better job protecting her than i did." With that she stood and disappeared through the door.

Henry didn't move from his spot on the chair behind her and when Darla left the room, Elizabeth fell back against Henry. "I need you to hold me up, because I can't do it for myself right now."

Henry leaned into her and wrapped her tight. "I will always hold you up." They stayed that way for quite a while until Henry kissed the side of her head. "Are you ready to go?" he asked. She nodded, and he stood, pulling her with him. "I got you babe. Let's go home. We are going to celebrate Christmas with my family, and try to put this on the backburner for a few days. Maybe we can start some traditions together."

Elizabeth tilted her head back to look up at him. "I love that idea. Let's go make some good memories together."


	19. Chapter 19

AN: There will officially be one more chapter. There is a definite shift in this chapter and I'm not very happy with it. I tried to rewrite it and was equally unhappy with that attempt. You get it anyway, because you've waited long enough. :)

Chapter 19

Henry felt off all morning. It unnerved him as his team was an hour away from heading out on a classified mission, the details of which he would get in the next half hour or so. He checked his watch. It was 2am, Elizabeth's time. He didn't want to call and wake her, but at the same time, he had a strong pull to do just that.

Four years had passed since they closed the chapter on Phillip Adams. So much had happened in those years, Henry was waiting for their world to stop spinning. "Soon," he thought. Soon his second deployment would be over and they could really settle down.

There were graduations for both, her new job under Conrad Dalton with the CIA, marriage and his deployment. "Deployments, two of them," Henry murmured. He missed Elizabeth deeply, but there were only 4 more months of this deployment, and then it would be over. He would have met his obligations and served his country. Then he could return to civilian life and get to know his wife again.

The feeling of longing for Elizabeth was a constant, but this unsettled feeling was different. He had the sense that he needed to talk to her. He checked his watch and debated again whether or not to wake her. After a brief pause, he took off jogging to the opposite end of the building where the telephones were located.

Elizabeth was sitting in the middle of the bed, her arms wrapped around her knees, crying, when the phone rang. She fell across the bed and grabbed wildly for the receiver, speaking before the receiver was near her mouth, "Henry?" she asked. Her voice was raspy, like she'd been crying and held a sense of urgency that hit Henry square in the chest.

"What's wrong babe?" Henry asked immediately knowing something was.

"Nothing," she said. "How are you?"

"Don't lie to me. I can hear it. I know I'm across the world, but don't shut me out. What's going on?"

"I just had a nightmare. About him," she clarified.

"Oh, babe, I'm so sorry. I want to hold you and tell you it will be okay. It's been a long time."

"Over two years I think," she said. "It was probably because of yesterday."

"What happened yesterday?" Henry asked, panic washing over him. He heard her take a ragged breath and then she was silent. "Elizabeth?" .He knew his voice was louder than it should be and at a higher pitch.

He could hear her start to cry and she whispered, "I'm so sorry, Henry."

"Elizabeth, baby, listen to me. You need to tell me-are you okay? What happened?"

"I'm okay. I'm just really shaken up." Elizabeth paused, and Henry was about to come unglued, when she spoke. "I was mugged yesterday."

"Oh God, babe. You're sure you weren't hurt? Don't even think about trying to sugarcoat this with me. I'll call Conrad if I have to."

"Don't Henry. I wasn't hurt. It just upset me and I thought I was fine and then I had the dream and you aren't here. And-crap, I don't mean to blame you, it's not your fault that you aren't here, It's just taking me more time to calm down is all."

"Babe. You don't need to be sorry and there's no reason to apologize to me, but tell me what happened."

"When we had a break, the girls I'm working with, Juliet and Isabelle, and I went out to lunch. I paid first and I stepped outside the diner to wait for them. There was a guy that was approaching me and he was coming too close so I put my hand out to keep him away and he grabbed my wrist and pulled me toward him and tried to grab my purse. I fought back and he punched me in the side of the head.

"Babe? Oh my God! Did you get checked out?"

"I'm fine, really. It's only a tiny bump, but Juliet and Isabelle came out, saw what was going on and beat the crap out of the guy, and held him down until the police came. They arrested the guy. We filed a report and he's probably out on bond by now."

"I'm so sorry that happened and I'm sorry I'm not there. Can you stay with Isabelle?"

"Henry, I'll be okay. I was thinking about it and I think it brought back the other stuff because I felt like I had no control, or that I was just reacting instead of being proactive. I'm not sure. It could be a few things, but I know I'm safe and Juliet and Isabelle have my back. Try not to worry Henry."

A sharp chirp came from his throat. "That's not going to happen. Listen I have to go. Try to get some sleep. Just think about us, okay? I'm going out soon. I want you to know that I love you."

"I love you too. Thanks for listening."

"Absolutely. I'll call you before I go to bed to see how your day went," Henry said. "Bye."

"Bye." Henry heard the soft click of the line disconnecting and hung up his receiver. He headed out toward the briefing room and once again said a prayer for safety for both of them.

Time crawled at a snail's pace as Henry neared the end of his deployment. He was down to three weeks, when he got the news that his unit was being sent home a week early. Henry was ecstatic, but said nothing to Elizabeth in case it didn't actually happen. It was far more likely that units were held longer than they were scheduled.

So Henry waited anxiously. When they spoke on the phone, Elizabeth chatted about a lot of daily happenings, but was very closed mouthed about how she was doing after the mugging. It worried him and he hoped that he actually did get to come home sooner than later. He wanted a real picture of what was going on.

When it was finally confirmed that Henry would make it back earlier than planned, he called Conrad to make sure that Elizabeth would be in the office. Only then did Henry make plans for his homecoming.

Elizabeth had just arrived in the office and put her things down when Juliet said, "Bess? Is it your anniversary?"

Not looking up, Elizabeth murmured, "No, why?"

"Because someone just got flowers!". Juliet held the card up for Elizabeth to see. "What's it say?"

"It won't be long now. All my love, Henry". Elizabeth bit her lower lip, willing the tears to stay away. She was so exhausted, catching sleep only in small intervals. It wouldn't be long, but at the same time, it seemed like it would be an eternity until he could hold her, until she would feel safe again. "They're beautiful," she said before sitting and trying to bury herself in her work.

Two hours later, there was a knock on their office door. A delivery man stood in the doorway holding a cup of coffee. "I'm looking for Elizabeth McCord," he said.

"That's me," Elizabeth said, standing to meet the man.

"Your husband ordered this coffee for you. He thought you might need help to stay awake." Elizabeth looked at the man curiously.

"My husband is overseas. How did he order a coffee?"

"He called ma'am. Here you go. I'll be on my way." And he handed her the cup and disappeared out the door.

She took a drink. "Mmm." She slumped back in her chair and smiled. "This is so good. I haven't had coffee this good since-" She took another sip. "It can't be." She took yet another sip of the coffee and smiled. "This is the same coffee that we had in New York when we went on our first anniversary trip. It was, well is, so good. How did he get it here?"

"Because you married the most perfect guy in the world." Isabelle said. "See what I mean?". She handed Elizabeth the receipt. At the bottom of the slip of paper was written, "Soon. H" with a heart drawn next to it. She stared at it, her brow knit tightly.

"What's wrong?" Juliet asked.

"It's his handwriting," she mumbled

"That can't be. Besides, how can you tell with only one word?"

Elizabeth pursed her lips, but said nothing. It was most certainly his handwriting. She drank her coffee while she thought about it. Elizabeth was less than focused. Between her general exhaustion and these sudden and peculiar gifts, her brain was working overtime.

They stood to go to lunch and Conrad appeared at the door. "Oh, this doesn't look good," Isabelle mumbled when she saw him.

"Bess. This was just delivered for you." He held out a pint of ice cream.

"Thanks," she said as she snagged it away from him and read the note. "It's been a rocky road, but that's about to change. Love, Henry" Elizabeth looked up at him.

"I think the guy who brought it is still here if you want to see him," Conrad offered. Elizabeth shot him an odd look and Conrad gestured toward the hallway. Elizabeth tentatively took a step into the hall and nearly fell over when she saw Henry standing there. Conrad reached out and grabbed her by the upper arms, making sure she didn't actually fall over and Henry took the few steps to sweep her into his arms.

"I'm so glad you're home," she said, hugging him tight. "I've missed you so much. I love you."

Isabelle swapped the ice cream for Elizabeth's purse and Conrad said, "We'll see you in a week Bess."

She turned to Conrad. "Thank you," With her arms still wrapped around Henry they started down the hall. "Isabelle, my ice cream better still be in the freezer when I get back." Isabelle rolled her eyes and shrugged her shoulders before heading off to the break room.

They lay together in a tangle of naked limbs. "I feel like I can finally breathe again," she murmured against his chest.

"I'm sorry I wasn't here."

"There's no reason to be sorry. You're here now."

"And I don't plan on leaving again any time soon." He kissed her head and she fell into a deep, restful sleep.


	20. Chapter 20

AN: Disclaimer up front: This was going to be the last chapter and then I got to the end and decided that there will be one more chapter. I'm not sure when I'll get to it, but it's on the list.

Chapter 20

March 2017

Henry was sitting at his desk in their Georgetown home when his phone dinged. Glancing down, he saw the notification and smiled. It was a text from Elizabeth. He tapped twice and the text opened. _Can you talk?_ His brow furrowed. She knew his schedule and knew that he didn't have classes today. Normally, she would call him, but she wanted him to call her. An unexplained queasiness settled in his stomach as he pushed the phone icon next to her name.

She picked up and he heard voices in the background as she excused herself, "I'll be back in a minute. Henry's calling," she said, and then there was some shuffling and he heard a door shut. "Henry," her voice trembled, a complete change from just a few seconds ago.

Henry's stomach flipped and bile rose to the back to his throat. "Babe, what happened? Where are you?"

"I'm on my plane headed back to the states."

"Wait. After Manila, you were supposed to go to the summit in Singapore." He paused, and with her next breath, he could tell she was crying. "What happened?"

"He touched me," she said softly, her tears coming faster now.

"Who? What? How?" Henry stumbled over his words, trying to grasp how that could have happened. "Nevermind. It doesn't matter. How long until you get home?"

"We touch down in about 12 hours, and then I have to go to the White House to discuss how to fix everything I messed up."

"Excuse me?" Henry said. "Everything you messed up? So help me God, if I have to come over there and explain to Russell and Conrad what the appropriate response to this should-"

"Henry. I'm ok. I can take care of them. However, it seems that punching the President of the Philippines and breaking his nose does cause some issues, and it's still my job to fix it."

"You broke Andrada's nose?"

"Yeah."

"Good." Henry was silent for a moment. "I love you," he said.

"I love you too."

"I'm only a phone call away. You can call me anytime and I will answer, okay?" Henry said, a note of desperation in his voice.

"I know," Elizabeth answered. "I'm going to try and go to sleep."

"Alright. Call if you need me," he said, knowing that she would neither close her eyes nor would she call, but it was her way of saying that she was done talking about it.

"It's not your fault."

"Bye Henry."

The call ended and Henry leaned forward, resting his elbows on his desk and buried his face in his hands.

After a few minutes, he sent a text to Blake. _How is she?_

Only a moment later, his screen lit up. _Completely focused on work. No signs of the assault bothering her at all._

Henry was thinking about how to respond when Blake sent a second text. _I should've been there with her. I should've protected her. I'm sorry._

Henry's heart broke for the young man who was more loyal to Elizabeth than any other person outside of her family. _There's no way you could have known. No blame. Let me know when the first opportunity is to see her. It doesn't matter when or where._

The assistant's response was almost instantaneous. _Of course._

Henry lay down, but couldn't sleep. His thoughts went back to their very first days. They had been through so much in their 30+ years together. After she was mugged and he returned from his deployment, she had nightmares intermittently for six months or so, but she hadn't had them in years as far as he knew. He wondered how it would look now after all this time. He wasn't naive enough to think there would be no repercussions.

He wasn't sure how long he lay there, but his phone lit up and dinged. _We land in an hour. I've arranged for you to ride to the White House with your wife. Her motorcade will pick you up first._

Henry typed his response. _Thanks._ Elizabeth often said he wasn't paid enough and she was right.

An hour later he sat in the back of the SUV as he watched the plane taxi toward the hangar. DS agents emerged first and Elizabeth followed and then her staff walked down the steps after. She held her head high and walked straight toward the SUV. Frank opened the door and she climbed in. The second she saw him, she fell into his arms. "How did you know?" she asked. He grinned at her. "Normally I would complain about you and Blake conspiring behind my back, but I'm going to let it go for now."

"What do you need from me babe?" he asked, pressing a kiss to her forehead.

"Hold me," she replied. Henry shifted his body and pulled her close.

"Did he hurt you physically?" Henry asked.

"He grabbed me from behind and I turned and decked him before he could do anything else."

"I'm so sorry," he whispered. He held her tight. "I'm right here always." She pulled back and their eyes met. Tears came to Henry's eyes when he saw the sadness and pain that he hadn't seen in almost two decades. He realized that it never goes away. It can be crowded out of the forefront by good things, and maybe even buried deep in the recesses of the mind, but when faced with the right set of circumstances, it whooshes back in as if it never left. "May I?" he asked softly.

"You haven't needed to ask in a long time," she said softly, a single tear escaping and trailing down her cheek.

"True."

"Please," she murmured, her lips already against his. It was soft and tentative at first, acknowledgement of all that had happened over the years. She pulled back and looked at him. "I'm with you now," she said, and met him again, taking charge, running her tongue along his top lip until he allowed her access into his mouth. He let her lead, taking all that she needed from him. The SUV slowed and pulled to a stop in front of the White House and she ended the kiss. "Thank you for meeting me."

"Always. I love you. Will you be home tonight?"

"I hope so. I love you too." She pecked him one last time before exiting the vehicle as Frank opened the door.

It was late when she finally made her way into their bedroom. She was still wearing the same clothes from the day before yesterday and she was anxious to get the dress off. She smiled at Henry, who had obviously tried to wait up for her, but was now dozing against the headboard.

Elizabeth slipped into the bathroom and quickly deposited her clothes on the closet floor. She turned on the shower and stepped to the sink to wash her face. Once finished, she stepped back and looked at her reflection in the mirror. She had come to accept her imperfections. She ran her fingers along her forearm. Early in their marriage, she'd had plastic surgery to minimize the scarring of the cigarette burns on her arms. Now, it was only noticeable if she got too tan. Those spots stayed the softer olive tone instead of turning deep bronze. It had been irritating at first, but now she didn't spend nearly as much time outside as she did when the kids were little, so they were rarely seen.

Her fingers landed on the heart shaped pendant that she and Henry shared. She smiled. He'd given it to her before he went away on his first deployment. It's simple words "Protect Me" had deep meaning for the both of them, and all these years it had kept them safe. When she moved it, she touched the circular scar just at the top of her cleavage. They had discussed having plastic surgery there as well, but she decided against it. It served as a reminder of how far she'd come. Elizabeth had decided early on that she didn't want to erase her past. She wanted to remember the strength she possessed to live with it and move beyond it.

Henry stood in the doorway and watched her. He was torn. He didn't want to startle her, but he didn't want her to be alone with her thoughts too long either. She let the pendant fall and her finger trailed along her shoulder tracing the outline of a bite mark. Henry cringed. That and the matching one on her hip were the scars that bothered Henry the most, only because he just could not wrap his head around the idea of one human doing that to another.

He leaned against the door frame and she turned to look at him. "You were sleeping," she said.

"Only resting my eyes. I was waiting for you." He took a step toward her. "How are things?"

"As good as they're going to get for a while."

"Let me take care of you," he said, extending his hand. She stood still a moment, her fingertips still resting on the scar on her shoulder. Then she reached out her hand to him, laying it in his palm, and he led her into the shower.

The water was hot, pelting their skin. She let her head fall back under the stream. Henry poured shampoo into his palm before lathering it into her hair. He pressed his fingers into her scalp, massaging the shampoo in. He felt the tension sloughing off of her. After rinsing it out, he applied the conditioner and started soaping her body. He was slow and methodical. He didn't speak. They didn't need words.

As he rinsed the conditioner out of her hair, she turned to face him. "I love you," she whispered before kissing him, her tongue sliding into his mouth. He moaned his appreciation. Reaching out, he shut the water off and dried her body before his own. He led her to their bed and helped her get situated before he covered her up. He shut off all of the lights and climbed in next to her. Immediately, she scooted in next to him. "Thank you for always taking care of me,"

He ran his hand through her still damp hair. "I love you so much. I would do anything for you. I'm sorry I couldn't protect you from this." His forehead fell against hers and she sighed.

"No guilt please. It just something that happened and it could've been worse."

"Have you decided what you're going to do?" She looked at him. "Publicly?"

"That's the million dollar question. I don't know. Part of me feels a responsibility to but there are vast diplomatic issues at stake. I can't just disregard that. I'm tired of thinking about it."

"I'll support you, whatever you decide."

Henry was sound asleep when he was violently pushed back. His eyes shot open, but it took him a few seconds to regain his bearings. Elizabeth was sitting up in bed, breathing hard. He instinctively reached out and touched her arm, which she immediately yanked away. "Don't touch me," she said forcefully.

Henry's first reaction was hurt, but he quickly dismissed that. He couldn't take Elizabeth's words or actions personally. It wasn't about him at all and he needed to remember that.

He sat up and waited quietly for several minutes before speaking. "Can I do anything for you?"

Elizabeth looked at him, but didn't seem to see him, and then all of a sudden, she was back. She let out a breath. "I had a nightmare," she said. "It took me a minute to snap out of it."

"It's alright. Can I get you some water or something?" She shook her head.

"I'm fine. I just need a minute." She rolled the edge of the sheet between her fingers. Finally she said, "I'd forgotten how real those dreams can be. It was so long ago, but my brain remembers like it was yesterday."

"I figured it was something like that," Henry said, offering her his hand, and this time, she took it. They sat in silence for a long time.

She turned toward Henry. "I think it's time I tell the girls."

"About Andrada?" he asked.

"All of it," she answered, "But I'll wait until this weekend. Right now I need to sleep. Would you hold me?"

Henry pulled her close and wondered how telling the girls her past would help anyone's situation, but he let it go. Now was not the time to discuss it. They both needed sleep.


	21. Chapter 21

AN: Be sure to read the author's note at the end. Thanks to all of those who have left wonderful reviews. I appreciate it so much.

Chapter 22

It had been a week since the assault, the press conference was over and Elizabeth had said her peace to Andrada. Things were getting back to normal in the office, although she did feel that she let Nadine down by not coming forward. However, Nadine didn't know about her past. Elizabeth wondered if that would change Nadine's opinion. After talking about it with Henry, she had decided to tell the kids. Henry was understandably apprehensive, but didn't argue, letting it be her decision.

Sleeping was tough. She hadn't made it through the night yet. The nightmares were intense and once she woke up, she rarely went back to sleep. Last night though was the best yet, sleeping four hours straight. She knew what to expect and she was getting there. It just took time.

Elizabeth was pushed the stack of briefs away from her and leaned back in her chair. She was drowsy and thought about asking Blake if he could get a 20 minute catnap worked into her afternoon schedule. There was a knock at the door. "Come in," she said. Blake stuck his head in. She chuckled. "It's like you have this sixth sense. I was just about to ask you if there was room in my schedule for a break."

"I'm sure I can arrange that, but there is someone downstairs waiting to see you. She isn't on your agenda for today though." He gave her a look that she didn't think she'd ever seen before.

"Okay. I'm not following."

"She says she's family and she would like to see you, but I know your file forward and backward and there's no mention of her." Blake looked extremely uncomfortable. "Should I send her away?"

"Who is it?" Elizabeth asked, now a bit curious herself.

"Darla Adams," Blake replied. It was as if a ton of bricks landed on Elizabeth's chest. "Ma'am?" Blake shifted uncomfortably as he watched the color drain from Elizabeth's face.

She took a deep breath within a couple seconds, she was back to normal. She said, "Send her up. I'll see her in here. Bring fresh coffee, please."

Blake was still for just a moment, wondering if he should ask this woman's connection to Elizabeth and given all that she'd been through this week, was it a good idea to see her. Elizabeth's immediate reaction has him on edge. Elizabeth caught the worry on his face. "She's an aunt I haven't seen in nearly 30 years. I think I'll need that coffee right away if you don't mind Blake."

"Of course, ma'am." Blake disappeared and back with a fresh pot of coffee within a couple of minutes. He filled her cup and set it at her desk.

She eyed him. "Do you just continually make coffee so you have it at the ready should I need it? Because my coffee maker at home takes at least 10 minutes to make a pot."

"It's part of my ninja assistant training," he said, raising his eyebrows before disappearing out of her office.

She paced in front of her desk wondering what would bring Darla out now. She'd been a little concerned when she was first nominated for Secretary of State, but when the woman hadn't surfaced, Elizabeth sort of forgot about her.

"Ma'am?" Blake appeared in her doorway. "Ms. Adams to see you."

"Thank you Blake," she said, motioning the young man to pull the door closed. "Hello Darla. I have to say that it was a shock to hear that you were here. Have a seat." Elizabeth motioned to the seating area. "Can I get you a cup of coffee?" she said, stepping over to pour one without waiting for an answer.

"I came to check on you Lizzie." Darla said softly.

Elizabeth stopped mid-pour. "What do you mean?" she asked, her back to her aunt.

"It happened again, didn't it?" Darla asked. Elizabeth's hands trembled as she finished pouring the cup of coffee and willed her them to be steady while she handed it to Darla.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Elizabeth said.

"Lizzie, I've followed you and Will. I've seen it all. The commendations, the newspaper articles, the TV interviews, the treaty signings, the hearings, the press conferences. The one the other day wasn't like the others. I've only seen the look you gave the Philippine president one other time. He didn't break his nose in a boxing match, did he?"

"No," Elizabeth whispered, her head down. She had no idea it was that obvious. Who else knew? She'd threatened Andrada with exposing him, but if everyone already knew, her threat was empty and she couldn't protect anyone.

"Are you okay?"

"Getting there," Elizabeth answered. "Why did you come?"

"I'm not sure. I saw the press conference and I saw you and I just knew. I felt compelled to check on you. I know that you haven't thought of me, but I've followed everything you and Will have done. I've been watching from afar, keeping an eye on you so to speak. Do Henry and the kids know?"

"Of course Henry does. The kids don't know yet, but after this, I made the decision to tell them. If nothing else, I think the girls especially may understand why I was so over the top about some things."

"I hope you're seeing someone." Darla said.

"Someone? A shrink?" Darla nodded. "No, I know the drill by now. I haven't seen anyone in forever, well, except after Iran. That messed with me a little, but I'm fine now."

"I'm glad. Well, I know you're busy and I won't keep you. I'm glad you're mostly okay. I wasn't sure you would even see me, so thank you. Please tell Will that I said hello and I think of him often, well the both of you." Darla pulled herself to stand and started to move toward the door.

"Do you still live in the house?" Elizabeth asked, although as the question left her lips, she was unsure why she asked.

"I put it up for sale the day I buried the bastard. Once I left the police station that day, I never went back. I had some friends go and get my personal things and I sold the rest. I bought a small house outside of Arlington and split the remaining money between the other girls that came forward. I knew it wouldn't fix anything, but I wanted to acknowledge that I believed them and I felt like I owed them something. The only thing is that I'm sure there were others and I feel bad for them." Darla had tears in the corners of her eyes. "But I can only try to repair what I know about." She walked out of the office. Elizabeth was rooted to her spot for a long moment.

Finally she came out of her trance and stepped out of the office and speed walked her way to the elevator, catching Darla as she stepped in. "Do you think I could have your number? I'd like to invite you over for dinner sometime. I'd like you to meet my family."

Darla openly wept as Elizabeth entered her number into her phone. "Don't feel obligated. Once you think about it, you may change your mind."

"I don't know how soon it will be. I still need to talk to the kids, but maybe in a couple weeks, okay?" Elizabeth found herself getting teary eyed. "Thank you for coming by Aunt Darla. It means a lot to me." Darla gave her a small wave as the elevator door slid closed.

As she walked past Blake's desk, she said, "Blake, I'm going to need that break right now. Unless the world explodes in the next 30 minutes, please keep everyone away."

Elizabeth walked into the house that night at a fairly reasonable hour. She dropped her briefcase against the wall and kicked off her heels sending them flying into the door of the coat closet. She started to shrug her coat off, but Henry was at her back, helping her. "Hey babe. I didn't expect to see you this early." He hung her coat up and spun her around to give her a hug.

"Henry, it's 7 o'clock. I hardly call that early."

He chuckled, "It's been after 8 every night this week." She shrugged, conceding the point.

"Kids home?" she asked.

"No. Stevie is still at work, Ali's at a study group and Jase is at Piper's. Are you hungry?"

"Yeah, but I want to tell you something first." She led him to the couch and sat down beside him. "Someone very unexpected showed up to see me today."

"Hmm. who?" he asked, wrapping his arm around her shoulders.

"Darla." Henry gave her a blank look. "My Aunt Darla."

Henry blinked his surprise. "What did she want?" His tone was almost accusatory.

"She came to check on me." Henry wrinkled his forehead in confusion. "She knew Henry. She knew it happened again."

"How?" Henry asked in disbelief. Elizabeth explained everything that Darla had told her.

"She told me she never went back to the house and sold everything in it and bought herself a small house and then divided up the rest of the money to give to the other victims that had come forward. She was telling the truth. I had it checked out."

Henry pulled back to look at her better. "What are you thinking?"

"That maybe once the kids know, we invite her to dinner or something? I'm not sure. She said I didn't need to and she was just happy that I was willing to see her, but I realized I have this hole where my family belongs and I've never acknowledged that until today."

"That will be a lot for the kids to take in and then to bring her here after you tell them who she is. I'm not sure how that will go." Henry was still on the fence about telling the kids about her past, fearful of how they would take it. Bringing her aunt to the house after telling them seemed like an especially bad idea.

"Let's wait and see then. I understand where you're coming from," she said and pulled herself from the couch. "Is there anything left to eat?"

Two Saturdays passed before Elizabeth could gather all of the kids, but now she and Henry sat near each other in the wingback chairs facing the three kids sitting on the couch. "If we could hurry this little family meeting along, I told Piper I would try to come by later," Jason said.

"I'll do my best to rush through this so you can get to your social engagements in a timely fashion," Elizabeth said, with both a hint of sadness and sarcasm, which Jason picked up on.

"Sorry," he said. She nodded.

"I've called you guys together because I wanted to tell you a few things, things that I thought I could gloss over and never have to address with you. The events of the last couple weeks have changed my mind and I've decided that my story is really part of your story as well, especially for you girls."

Ali shot Elizabeth a worried look and Elizabeth did her best to ignore it. It was Ali that Elizabeth worried about the most. She was quiet and didn't like to rock the boat. She was a people pleaser. And, she went through a phase in high school where she desperately wanted a boyfriend. Elizabeth had been quick to counsel her and she hoped that Allison had been on the lucky side of the statistics.

"I've told you guys a lot of stories from my childhood and a lot of stories about your dad and I, but there is a five year gap, that I've never really mentioned," Elizabeth said.

"The period of time after your parents died." Stevie said.

"Yes, but there was more to it than that and something that happened a couple weeks ago brought that back," Elizabeth said.

Stevie gasped and when she made eye contact with her eldest, Stevie said, "It's Andrada. I knew something happened."

"Andrada's cool." Jason threw a few air punches.

"He sexually assaulted me," Elizabeth said flatly.

Jason stopped a punch mid air, all of the color draining from his face. "He did what? How can that happen? You have bodyguards for Christ's sake."

Elizabeth shot a look at Alison before answering Jason. Ali looked stunned. "DS agents don't usually go into meetings with leaders. They secure the area and then stand outside. They were outside the door when it happened." Henry had hold of Elizabeth's hand and felt her squeeze it harder.

"Mom, are you okay?" Ali asked, her voice just above a whisper, like she was afraid to know the answer.

"Physically, I'm fine. He grabbed me. Reflexively, I punched him and was able to get out of the room. Matt, Frank and Blake got me out of there immediately."

"You were the one who broke his nose?" Jason asked. Elizabeth nodded. "Good, and I'm sorry I said he was cool. What he did was not cool at all." Elizabeth, nodded, acknowledging his apology and looked at the girls, getting ready for what was going to be the outcome of the next few questions.

"And emotionally?" Stevie asked. "How are you?"

"That's a little harder to answer." She bit her lower lip while she thought about it. "What happened to me a couple weeks ago brought back a lot of very painful memories, things I thought I had long since buried."

Stevie moved off the couch and sat at her mother's feet landing her hand on Elizabeth's knee. Ali stayed in her spot and tucked her knees to her chest, her forehead resting on her knees. Elizabeth squeezed Henry's hand and nodded toward Ali. He immediately moved to the couch, scooting Jason over so he could sit between them. She caught Henry's gaze. "Thank you," she mouthed. He nodded. Jason seemed unsure about the sudden change in the girls' mood, but given his previous misspeak, he sat quietly.

Taking a deep breath, she started her story. "When our parents died, Will and I found ourselves in a predicament. Both sets of grandparents had passed away and my mom was an only child, so the only option for family to take us was Dad's only brother and his wife. We had met them, but weren't close. They were very wealthy and had no children of their own. Their house was enormous and cold and unfriendly and it was very hard for me. Will and I handled Mom and Dad's death differently. He was just go, go, go. He never stopped to let himself think. Will made friends quickly and was gone all of the time."

"I was sort of introverted to begin with and after their death, I became even more withdrawn and rarely spoke, or left my room. We'd only been there a couple weeks, when my uncle started coming into my room and he would hold my hand or rub my back while I cried. It seemed a little weird and it made me uncomfortable, but I ignored my feelings. As soon as the next semester started, Will and I were sent to boarding school, but each time we returned, my uncle went a little farther." Elizabeth paused, hoping that all three would catch on without her actually having to say it.

Ali's head popped up, and started to speak, anger in her voice, "But you've always told us never to ignore our feelings, if it feels wrong it is wrong, and to come tell someone no matter how uncomfortable it might be."

"Why do you think that is, Noodle? My mom never had those conversations with me." She sighed. "Part of it was the time I think. I don't know that any of my friends talked about that with their mothers. No one ever said anything if they did. After going through what I went through, I swore that I would do everything I could to protect you, equip you, and raise you to have a strong enough voice to be heard even if no one wants to listen."

Stevie had leaned in and was wrapped around Elizabeth's legs with her head laying in Elizabeth's lap. She gently stroked Stevie's hair.

"Mom? How long did it last?" Stevie asked.

"Until I was 19."

Stevie's tears finally forcibly pushed their way out of her eyes. "That's a really long time."

"Yeah, baby it was," she agreed.

"What finally made him stop?" Jason asked.

"Well, I had a restraining order put on him at one point, but he came back after that and your dad saved me from him. At that point, I was finally strong enough to press charges and he ended up committing suicide while he was being detained."

Ali looked up. "Dad? You knew."

Henry looked over at his daughter. "Not immediately, but eventually I knew all of it."

Jason shifted uncomfortably. "What Jase? What do you want to know?"

"How much further?" Elizabeth gave him an unsure look. "You said that when you came back from school he went further."

She swallowed hard. "It was steadily escalating actions until he finally raped me when I was 16. After that, it was varying levels of depravity that I have no desire to go into."

Jason launched himself off the couch and headed through the kitchen, out the back door. "I got him," Henry said, standing. Alison looked like she was about to lose her anchor and Elizabeth rubbed Stevie's back. "Let's sit together." Stevie let go so Elizabeth could move to the couch and then Stevie sat next to her.

"Mom, I'm so sorry. I can't even wrap my head around it. I don't think I could be as strong as you. I don't think I could do it " Stevie leaned into her shoulder, tears streaming down her face.

"I never felt strong. And there was a time that I definitely thought I couldn't go on. I was ready to end it all and then your Dad showed up with a cup of coffee and told me that he was falling for me and after I kicked him out, I couldn't go through with it. You know he was there every step of the way. He was always quick to tell me that he didn't have anything to do with my healing, but particularly after recent events, I don't know that would've ever made it to where I am today without him. "My wish is that both of you find someone as wonderful and supportive as your father."

"You were going to commit suicide?" Ali asked.

Elizabeth closed her eyes. "I had already tried and failed. It was after something particularly horrific happened and I just didn't think I could go on." Tears streamed down her face as she remembered that day, the scarf looped around her neck standing on the chair, when the knock came at the door and he called her name. "I don't know that he realizes just how close I was. He quite literally saved my life." She paused. "Twice."

Stevie pushed up so she could see Elizabeth. "Twice?" she asked.

So told them of her fight with Henry and moving into the dorms for Christmas break and how her uncle had been waiting for her when she entered the building. He'd ushered her upstairs and into Becky's room, cornering her on the bed where he told her all of the things he planned to do before he killed her. "And he's holding the knife up and my only thought is that I won't ever get to see your dad again and then he's kicking the door in."

"He really kicked the door in?" Ali asked.

"Really. And he threw my uncle to the floor and there was a scuffle and I just watched the scene play out like I was outside of myself. Your dad had him pinned to the floor choking him and I called the police. I really thought that your dad might kill him. I know he wanted to and there was a part of me that wanted him to, but I realized that if he did, he would be the one to end up in trouble, destroying his life because of me. The police came and during the interview they told me that they wanted me to press charges, not just for violating the restraining order, but for rape as well. They had been investigating him and several girls had come forward. I, by far, had the most compelling and provable account of what had happened. With my statement, they were able to arrest him and he ended up hanging himself rather than go through a trial."

Ali snuggled into her side. "Is it really bad this time?"

"It's getting better. The nightmares were really bad at first, but now I am able to sleep at least half the night. It just takes time. I'm doing okay."

"How come you didn't call Andrada out? Tell everyone what he did?" Stevie wanted to know.

Elizabeth sighed. "There were, there are, a lot of other things at play. There would be international ramifications involved with coming forward. I must have credibility with nearly every country in the world. The fact is that for every nation that would applaud me coming forward there would be four openly opposed. I don't like it. I don't agree with it, but in many cases it would impair my ability to do my job. Whether I like it or not, I'm the Secretary of State before I'm a woman and that is what it is. However, Andrada and I had words after the press conference and he knows what's at stake, and he won't cross me again."

"It's not fair," Ali said.

"No. It's definitely not," she murmured, pulling both girls a little closer.

Henry made it outside to find Jason pacing the driveway. "How are you doing Jase?"

Jason turned around to face his father, a look of complete bewilderment covering his face. His hands flew to the side, "How am I doing? Are you freaking kidding me? That has got to be the dumbest question you've ever asked." He continued to pace. "Why did I need to know this? I didn't want to know. I don't want to know, and now that it's there, I can't get it out of my head." He stopped in the middle of the driveway and turned to look at Henry. "Why would he hurt her like that? Why would anybody hurt someone else like that?" Jason pressed his hands to the side of his head. Tears fell uncontrollably. "That's like Uncle Shane or Will doing that to Stevie or Ali." Henry stepped closer and pulled Jason to him, hugging him tight, and letting him get it out. After a bit, Jason pushed Henry away.

"There's no way to justify that kind of evil." Henry told his son. " It just exists. When your mom and I very first lived together, as roommates, I spent a lot of time thinking about that. Nights were always the worst because she'd have nightmares and I couldn't do anything to help. She was entirely too vulnerable to have me close and it nearly killed me to hear her sobbing and not be able to comfort her. I prayed so much those first several months, those first couple years really, that God would heal her heart and her mind, and slowly it happened. It took a lot of therapy and a lot of love, but eventually it happened."

"I just feel so sorry for her. Like that shouldn't have happened," Jason said.

"No. She is the last person in the world you should feel sorry for. Your mother is single handedly the strongest person I know. She has overcome things and faced adversity that I pray we will never know. She doesn't need your pity-only your acceptance of the situation and maybe extend a little grace while she works through this latest trial." Henry pulled his son close again. "Are you better?"

"I was a real jerk talking about how cool Andrada was. I shouldn't just buy into what's on TV. I need to apologize for that." Jason stared at his shoes.

"I think your mom understands, but you do what you think is right. Do you think you're ready to go back inside?" Jason nodded and Henry slung an arm around his shoulders pulling him along.

When they walked back into the living room, all of the girls were on the couch. Jason could tell they'd been crying, but they all looked calm now. Elizabeth caught the movement and looked up giving Jason a small smile. "Jace?" He crossed the room and knelt before her, barely giving her time to untangle her arms from the girls before he wrapped her up in a hug of his own.

"I'm so sorry that happened to you and I'm sorry that I was acting all dumb about Andrada. I know that had to be hard to listen to knowing who he really was. I love you."

Pressing a kiss to the top of his head, she whispered, "I love you too, and it's okay. I'm going to be just fine." Still wrapped in Jason's arms, she said, "While I have you all here, there's one other thing I'd like to talk to you about. You have a Great Aunt."

AN2: Confession time-when I started this story, I had no idea that it would take the dark turn that it did, but once that happened, I knew I was going to include Andrada and I knew the ending. This chapter was supposed to be that, but surprise, my brain threw in Aunt Darla and now you get another chapter which is going to be the real ending. I apologize for dragging this out. I don't mean to.


	22. Chapter 22

AN: And this fic comes to an end. I'm a little sad to see it finished, but Uncle Henry awaits and there are some one shots that really need some attention too. Happy reading all! Thank you to everyone who left such wonderful reviews. It really means the world to me.

Chapter 23

A month passed and in that time Elizabeth had lunch with Darla a few times, attempting to start a relationship that they never had the opportunity to build before. They talked a lot about Darla's childhood and how she ended up with Phillip. It was a sobering story and Elizabeth wished that she would have been in a position to be open to Darla when she was a teenager.

It seemed that despite the fact that he was a despicable human being, Phillip Adams was an excellent manager of money. Even though his suicide voided his life insurance policy, he left Darla a sizable amount of money in investments and properties. She was able to live a comfortable life and she, in her younger years, worked for many charitable causes. Now that she was older, she had enough to donate to causes close to her.

Darla was religious, attending a small Baptist Church similar to one she'd grown up in. Phillip refused to let her practice her faith while they were married. It had always bothered her and it was one of the first things she returned to once he died.

The two we're sitting in a small bistro toward the end of their lunch when Elizabeth asked, "Is there a special someone in your life?"

A shadow crossed Darla's eyes, but she smiled. "No. I figured I screwed up the first go round enough that I shouldn't try again. There were a few interested parties later on, but I just wasn't up to taking the chance. Perhaps I should have. There are times when it's lonely, especially when you get to be my age. My weekly social engagement is attending the funeral of someone else in my age group." Elizabeth was saddened by that admission. "Lizzie, there isn't anything you can do about it. It's a fact of growing older."

"I suppose. There is a part of me that feels guilty for cutting you out of my life along with him. That wasn't fair."

"Don't do that to yourself. You had just been through five years of trauma. I get that you were trying to move past it and I was all wrapped up in it. I can't say that my feelings weren't hurt and that I wasn't angry, but those feelings were directed at Phillip, never you."

"Would you be willing to come to the house for dinner one night next week? Dinner arrangements with us are sometimes fluid because somehow world affairs never seem to coincide with my social plans, but we can try."

"Is that a good idea? It was never my intention to insinuate myself into your life. In fact, I was pretty sure when I showed up announced at the State Department, you would have me sent away. By the way, that assistant of yours is one to hang on to." Elizabeth gave her an odd look. "He was very courteous and professional, but he was very guarded. It was like he knew that I could cause you some sort of upheaval and he wasn't about to let that happen."

"Blake is excellent at what he does and he takes very good care of me. He hovers a little since Iran, because I think I gave him a good scare, and being scared isn't really Blake's thing." Elizabeth sipped her coffee.

"I think the kids are ready. We've had a few conversations and they understand how things went down. I think it will be alright and if it's too much, you'll have dinner with Henry and me."

Darla smiled. "Thank you for the invitation. Just let me know. I typically don't have things to do in the evening." They hugged and parted ways. On the way back to the office, Elizabeth sent a group text to Henry and the kids asking what night was best. She hoped Blake could work his magic with her schedule and they could find a night that would work for everyone.

That evening, Elizabeth was washing her face when her phone dinged. She glanced over at the nightstand and grimaced. "Henry, can you check that and tell me it's not Russell Jackson? "

Henry reached over and picked up her phone. "It's not Russell." The lines across his forehead were pronounced.

"Who is it then?" she asked, stepping into their bedroom.

"It's Allison. She wants you to come to her room." Henry nodded knowingly. Elizabeth had fielded various questions from Stevie and even a handful from Jason, but Allison had said nothing since the day that Elizabeth had talked to them. She knew it was coming, but now that the time was at hand, she was nervous. Henry was by her side. "It will be okay." He pulled her into an awkward side hug and she turned into him fully.

"It will. I know that. It's just made me think about that period of time a whole lot more often than I'd like." She sighed. "Maybe this will be it."

Elizabeth started to step away and he held her. "I love you so much." He kissed her softly, feeling her out. When she kissed him back, he deepened the kiss, his tongue reaching out to catch hers. His fingers threaded through her hair and held her in place. When he finally let her go, she was breathless. "I just wanted you to know that."

"You really shouldn't kiss a girl like that and then send her away," she smirked.

"I'll be up in case she wants more when she comes back." Henry arched his eyebrows at her before stepping into the bathroom.

Elizabeth made her way down the hall to Ali's room. "Hey Noodle. What's going on?" Ali was against the headboard sitting cross legged with a notebook in her lap. Elizabeth crawled into the middle of the bed and faced her.

"I was trying to study and I just got to thinking about some things and then I couldn't concentrate." She twisted her fingers together in her lap.

"What were you thinking about Noodle?" Elizabeth asked, slipping her hand into Ali's lap taking hold of her hands, stopping the movement. "You can ask me anything, and I'll be honest with you."

"I know. And that's what I'm afraid of. I don't know that I'm ready to hear the answers to the questions I have."

"If you've thought the questions, then the answers probably aren't any worse than what you have already thought of. If they are, then we'll work on that when we get to it. Okay?" Ali nodded. "Let's have it then."

"Umm, I'm not really sure how to start." Ali stared at her lap. Elizabeth just waited, figuring that she'd come around to it on her own. "You are like the most confident, strong person I know. I'm having a hard time picturing any situation in which you would feel the need to take your life."

Elizabeth blew out a long breath. "This was the one thing I was hoping I could just skip altogether." She inadvertently laughed. Ali looked shocked. "Sorry. Old defense mechanisms die hard I suppose. Your dad would get so annoyed with me when I did that, laugh in a situation that wasn't funny at all. Anyway, so the story is that I was at college my sophomore year and I had just met your dad and he made me feel so special and happy. I was so afraid that he would find out my secret and not want to have anything to do with me that I called my uncle and I told him that I was never allowing him to touch me again and he needed to leave me alone. I could tell he was mad and he hung up on me. I went about the rest of my week. My uncle showed up at school and took me away with the intent of showing me exactly the manner in which he controlled me."

"Why did you go with him?" Ali implored, Why didn't you fight?"

Tears stung Elizabeth's eyes. "At the time, a part of me believed that I deserved it. He'd been doing it so long, I just fell in line."

Ali's tears rolled down her face. She shifted herself so that she could lay her head in Elizabeth's lap. "What made this the time worse than all of the others? The one that made you decide that life just want worth living, especially since you met Dad and liked each other?"

"Oh Noodle. I don't know that there are words that would even come close to explain my state of mind. It was 3 days of constant abuse. I didn't go to the doctor but I'm almost positive I had a concussion. There were cuts, bruises, burns, and more." She touched her shoulder absentmindedly as she thought about those days in that motel room. " That doesn't begin to touch the rest of what he did. I don't remember much of getting from the motel back to campus, but I remember being in the shower for hours trying to get him off of me and the despair I felt realizing that I couldn't. Everyone would know. I was covered in marks, remnants of what he'd done. I thought there was no way your dad would ever have me the way I was. No way anyone would. I can't begin to tell you how ashamed I was for letting it happen. How I thought that if I'd just kept quiet and not called him, I would've saved myself. That I brought it on myself."

"Mom, that's not true. You know it was him that was wrong. He violated you." Ali was near sobbing.

Elizabeth pulled her up and looked at her. "After years of therapy, and the unconditional love of your father, I can say that. I can teach you that. Then, I only had the manipulation of a sick and twisted man shaping my opinion of myself." Elizabeth pushed Allison upright. "If there is only one thing that you take from my experience, I want it to be this. You are so much stronger than any situation you find yourself in. The good news is that you are surrounded by a family who loves you deeply and would help carry you through anything that comes your way. I was alone and couldn't see a way out."

"And then what?" Ali asked.

"When I finally drug myself out of the shower, I put my pajamas on and took the rest of my bottle of sleeping pills. Luckily, or unluckily as I viewed it then, I didn't have enough left in the bottle to do the job. I slept for a day and a half though. After my roommate left for class, I dismantled the ceiling light fixture with the plan of hanging myself using the ceiling brace. I had the scarf tied and was standing on a chair ready to do it and your dad knocked on my door. He called my name. I debated going ahead and doing it, but I was afraid that he would hear something and try to get in and stop me, so I decided to talk to him and get him to go away first. When I opened the door, I was unprepared for how scared i would be. Just being in the same space as a man nearly paralyzed me. He saw how uncomfortable I was and he moved back across the hall and then he asked me about it, about the assault. Of course he had no idea what had just happened, but he said that he wanted to be my friend and that he was falling for the girl he'd been out with. I was hateful and shut the door on his face, but he stayed there for a long time. He knocked a couple times, but I didn't open the door. When he finally left, I tried to go ahead and hang myself, but just knowing that he still cared was enough of a reason for me not to do it and get help. I made an appointment with a new therapist, and that was really started to change things. During that time, I made it a point not to run into your dad. I wanted to be better when he saw me again. To be closer to the girl that he'd fallen for. But sometimes I'd see him on campus and I'd watch him, and I'd pray that he'd still be interested by the time that I was better."

"I never knew that," Henry said from the doorway.

Elizabeth looked over her shoulder and wiped away the few tears that had collected under her lashes. "Because that wasn't creepy stalker at all," she quipped.

"I wouldn't have thought so," he said. "You were gone a long time. I was just coming to check on you."

"I'll be done in a few minutes," she said.

Henry nodded, "Love you Noodle." He kissed Allison's cheek, which was still tear streaked. He took his thumb and wiped a tear away. "Let me know if you need anything, okay?"

"Yeah Dad, I love you too."

Henry turned to Elizabeth and kissed her forehead. "I wouldn't have thought so." She smiled at him. He left Ali's room and headed back down the hall.

Elizabeth turned back to Ali. "That was a lot. How are you doing?"

"I'll be okay. I hope that I will someday be as brave and strong as you."

"And I hope that nothing ever happens that require that of you, but if it does, I know you will do what you need to do and your family will have your back."

"Thanks Mom." All reached out and hugged Elizabeth. Pulling back, she ran her hands down Elizabeth's arms. Recognition flashed across her face and she turned her mom's arms over. "Those marks you used to have on your arms, were those?" Elizabeth nodded. "How come they are gone now?"

"They are still there, But they don't tan like the rest of my skin. They are more apparent when I spend a lot of time outside. You used to be able to see them because I spent a lot of time out when you guys were little."

"Is that all?" she asked. Elizabeth shook her head

"I had the scars on my arms fixed because they were the most noticeable. I didn't feel comfortable wearing short sleeves. The others aren't in places where people would usually see, especially if I'm careful about what I am wearing."

"Oh," Ali said and sat silently looking at her lap.

"Ali?" She looked up at her mom, chewing on her bottom lip. Elizabeth smiled, knowing she did the same thing when she had something she wanted to say, but didn't know if she should say it or not. "Go ahead," she said, already having a good idea what she was going to ask. When Ali looked at her, she could read the uncertainty on her face. "Do you want to see?"

"No! Yes, well maybe. Kind of, but not really?" Ali looked at her, her face screwed up in confusion.

Elizabeth pressed a kiss to Ali's head "I only have three that you can really still see. The others have faded with time. I can see them all because I know where they are, but your dad assures me that others wouldn't notice them." She picked up Ali's hand and placed he fingers on her chest. "I have a burn scar under my pendant," She moved Ali's hand to her shoulder. "There's a bite mark here and here," Elizabeth said as she shifted Ali's hand to the top of her right hip.

"Mom, your imperfections, whatever they are, make you even more beautiful because they have made you the woman you are today. You are the best example of how to be a strong, intelligent woman there has ever been and I'm so blessed that you are my mom."

Elizabeth pulled Ali into a hug. " Thank you Noodle. I love you so much."

"I know it must be hard for you, but thank you for letting us in.". Elizabeth smiled and nodded to her daughter.

Getting off the bed, she said, "If you need anything else, let me know, okay. I'm always happy to talk about anything." Ali nodded and Elizabeth slipped out of her room and into her own.

After saying goodnight to Alison, she checked on Jason before slipping back into her bedroom. Henry was still awake, looking through some paperwork. He looked up and smiled softly when she sat on the edge of the bed. "How'd it go?" he asked as he put the papers on the nightstand.

"As good as it could go. She asked about my suicide attempts." Elizabeth stared at the floor. "It's been a long time since I thought of that in a way other than just as something that happened." Henry reached out and took her hand. "You do know that you are the reason I didn't kill myself?' He scooted close and rested his forehead on her shoulder. "I was right there teetering on the edge and just the knowledge that you knew something terrible had happened and you still wanted to be near me was enough to keep me from falling." Elizabeth turned so she could look at Henry. "Thank you for giving me a reason to live. I couldn't fathom that my life would ever be anything beyond what it was at that point. You loved me and together we've built this amazing life with amazing kids and I know happiness now that I couldn't comprehend then. Thank you."

Henry ran his thumb along her jaw, weaving his fingers into the hair at the base of her head. "I will always be there for you. I can't imagine my life without you in it.' He pulled her closer. I love you." He kissed her, the warmth of his lips radiating across her face. Pulling away, Henry watched her open her eyes. They were darker than usual, her cheeks flushed, her lips full and red.

"Show me," she whispered. Henry gazed at her. They hadn't been intimate since the night before she flew to Manila. He opened his mouth to ask, but she stopped him. "I'm good. I'm ready. I promise." He grinned at her before shifting his body and taking her down on the bed with him.

Blake knocked on her office door, and stuck his head in. "Ma'am, your 11 o'clock is here."

Elizabeth looked up from the stack of papers she'd been reading. "My 11 o'clock? Did I miss something?" Blake pushed the door open fully and Henry walked in carrying a bag.

"What are you doing here?" she asked, a smile crossing her face. She rounded the end of her desk and met him in the middle of the room.

"I'm your 11 o'clock, and your noon. Well, really the rest of your day." He pecked her on the lips. "Get ready," he said, handing her the bag he was carrying.

"Blake? What about the meeting-"

""Moved," he cut her off.

"And the thing with-" The wrinkle in Elizabeth's forehead was deepening.

"Nadine and Jay are taking it." Blake smiled. "It appears that the only thing currently on your calendar is an afternoon off." His smile shifted into a grin. "Enjoy that." He pulled the door shut.

Elizabeth stood in the middle of the floor still holding the bag. "Henry?" she said. "What is this?"

"Just what Blake said. An afternoon off. Could you get going? We're on a timetable." Henry moved to sit on the couch. Elizabeth wandered into the bathroom, her face still scrunched in confusion.

Three seconds later, Henry heard, "What are we doing Henry? These clothes say cleaning the house more than afternoon off. Dear God Henry, tell me you didn't make me take the afternoon off to clean the house!"

Henry chuckled, "No. Not quite. Although I should probably do that too." She emerged a few minutes later wearing wind pants, an old UVA sweatshirt and tennis shoes. Her hair was pulled back into a ponytail.

"How do I look?" she asked twirling around.

"Beautiful," he said, moving to gather her into his arms. "Just like I remember." He kissed her quickly. "Ready to go?"

"I suppose, since I don't know what we're doing."

"You'll figure it out soon enough. Come on," he said, taking her hand and pulling her out of her office.

As they passed Blake's desk, she said, "I really don't like the two of you conspiring together.

"Duly noted Ma'am," Blake said, not bothering to raise his head.

"You have no intention of stopping, do you?"

"None at all Ma'am," he answered straight faced, causing Henry to laugh.

They'd been chatting about the kids and things going on when she finally said, "It's been an hour Henry. Where are we going?"

"You'll figure it out. Just settle back." He pulled her closer to him and she relaxed against his side. "Have you talked to Darla since dinner the other night?"

"I texted her and she said it was nice and offered to have us to her house next month."

"Well that was good." Things had been a little awkward at first, but then Darla got Allison hooked when she talked about a fashion designer that she knew and the kids warmed up. Stevie had made a nice dinner, there were no world catastrophes and Henry and Elizabeth had a nice conversation with Darla once the meal was over and the kids left for their evening activities.

"How did you feel about it?" she asked. "I know you were hesitant."

"I was. But I think you did a good job of preparing the kids and that whole bit with Andre, what was his name?"

"I have no idea, but once Ali got on a roll, the other kids relaxed and I think they were okay. So where are we going?"

"I'm surprised you haven't figured it out yet," Henry said.

"I'm too tired to think too much," Elizabeth replied yawning.

"Well, go to sleep then." He pulled a travel pillow from under the seat and placed it in his lap, shifting her from his shoulder.

"But we're on a date," she yawned.

"I'll have a good time watching you sleep and I'll wake you when we get there." He started stroking her hair and she was asleep within minutes.

Over an hour later, he gently shook her shoulder. "Babe, wake up. We're here." Elizabeth opened her eyes slowly and pushed herself off of Henry's lap.

Looking out, she saw the sign and smiled. "You are a sentimental fool Henry McCord." She leaned in and kissed him.

"But you like it," he murmured against her lips.

"That I do," she said.

Matt opened the door and they got out. "The perimeter's secure ma'am."

She looked at him. "You cleared an entire nature preserve so I could take a walk? Because it's likely that someone would be hanging out waiting to take me down on the off chance that I show up someplace I haven't been to in 30 years."

"Odder things have happened Ma'am," Matt said, and shrugged.

"Well, I'm glad you do your job so well Matt."

"It was actually my fault, because I told Matt they couldn't follow us, so the concession was that they cleared the whole place. Thanks Matt." Matt nodded. Henry turned to Elizabeth, "South trail?"

She grinned, "For old times sake, I think we have to." She slipped her hand into Henry's and they wandered across the bridge covering the small creek and into the forest following the trail. "We haven't done this in a long time." They walked up the winding trail and paused when they came to the dilapidated building that was once the cabin they'd stayed in that first night.

Henry stepped in behind Elizabeth and wrapped his arms around her. "Hard to believe that it started here."

"Yeah, it's such a great story."

"It is. If you like weird and awkward, because it was a lot of that," Henry said, chuckling into her shoulder.

"Well, I give you that, but it was also sweet and new and full of hope. I liked you so much and I hoped you liked me." Elizabeth let her head fall back against Henry's shoulder.

"I did. So much." He squeezed her tighter. "Come on." He broke away and tugged on her hand pulling her back to the trail. They made it to the top of the hill. "They've improved this place," Henry said. What had once been a single bench was now a large wooden lookout built into the side of the hill.

"It's so beautiful," she said as she sat down. I remember sitting up here with you and we talked for a while and then just sat in the silence. Normally the silence would have scared me, but you made it comfortable."

"I remember thinking the same thing. It was so easy to just be with you."

"But it ended up not being easy at all." She paused for a moment and looked out over the valley stretched out in front of them. "Do you ever regret it?" she asked. Henry pulled back quickly and studied her.

"You mean us? Never. I wouldn't trade one second of us, no matter how hard it might have been. Don't ever think that." Henry pulled Elizabeth close to him and pushed her hair back away from her face. "Please, don't ever think that. If I traded that time away, we wouldn't be the us of today, and I love us."

"I usually don't. It's just sometimes I get self conscious and wonder if you're as happy as I am. If you aren't, you would tell me, wouldn't you?"

"If that were to ever to be the case, I'd tell you, but don't worry about it ever happening, because I love you more than life itself." Lowering his head, he kissed her, letting their foreheads rest together. They stayed like that a long time. "Are you ready?" he asked.

Elizabeth nodded and stood. They interlaced their fingers and started making the trek back down the trail. "No rain today," she murmured.

Henry looked at her and shot her a wicked grin. "What do you say we just jump in the shower when we get home and climb into bed naked?"

"Something tells me you won't be as shy as last time," she laughed.

"There's only one bed and I think we should make good use of it." Henry said tickling her side.

"Sounds like a plan Dr. McCord. Race you to the parking lot." Elizabeth took off like a shot and Henry laughed before jogging after her. This was going to be a good night.


End file.
